Game Over
by Silverado17
Summary: Everyone is born with a mark on their left wrist that will one day show who their soulmate is. Dipper Pines finally understands the meaning behind his when he meets his soulmate at work. His soulmate is another boy. Same-sex soulmates are accepted by society, but Mr. and Mrs. Pines are a different story. The twins are 16. Bill is 18. Human!Bill Good!Bill billdip soulmate AU.
1. Gravity Falls or Bust

_**AN: Warning, there is homophobic language in here. Those views are not supported by this author. Also, characters are a little OOC because I'm not Alex Hirsch and this is not canon. And there are a few possible cliches, but this was just for fun so whatever.**_

 _ **In case you missed it, this is a billdip fanfiction. Don't like, don't read.  
**_

 _ **Disclaimer: As I just mentioned, my first name is not Alex (or is it?) and my last name is (definitely) not Hirsch. I am not affiliated with Disney in any capacity. I own nothing.**_

* * *

 _I knew I did from that first moment we met. It was... not love at first sight, exactly, but - familiarity. Like: oh, hello, it's you. It's going to be you. Game over.  
~Mhairi McFarlane_

* * *

For the first time since he was a young child, Dipper Pines woke up next to someone. The thought made him grin as he remembered – he'd met his soulmate yesterday, and it was amazing. Bill was so charming and attractive and funny. Even better, he got along with Mabel, something that had always been a priority for Dipper when letting people into his life. If they couldn't handle Mabel, it was their loss because no one would ever separate Dipper from his sister. Dipper's parents were coming home today from a 'second honeymoon' they'd felt comfortable taking for their 18th anniversary now that the twins were 16 and could drive somewhere if they needed to instead of being trapped at home. Dipper was holding out hope that his parents would approve of Bill as well.

Noticing that it was 10:00, Dipper began to get dressed to go down to breakfast. As he was changing into a not-pajama shirt, Bill had apparently woken up as an appreciative, "Now that is a nice view to wake up to," was heard to Dipper's right, making him blush.

"Shut up," he grumbled in embarrassment.

"What? I can't enjoy the appearance of my soulmate?" Bill teased. The only response he got was Dipper finishing putting his shirt on.

After the two of them were both dressed – and maybe Dipper might have enjoyed his own view for a bit – they went down to the kitchen to find Mabel cooking pancakes with Boyz 4 Now – the band she started listening to after she decided to distance herself from Sev'ral Timez – playing in the background. "Well, good morning, you two," she greeted cheerfully. "Sleep well?"

"Mhm," Dipper hummed, still not fully awake.

"I slept great," Bill said happily. "What about you?"

"Fantastic," Mabel said. "Mom and Dad called just before you two came down here. They just left the airport and they're on their way home."

"How early was their flight?" Dipper asked in surprise.

"7:30," Mabel said. "It only takes 2 hours to fly here from Nebraska, you know."

"No, I didn't know. How did you know?"

"Secret ways," Mabel said with a grin, making Dipper roll his eyes. "What are you two lovebirds planning on doing today?" Mabel asked. It was Saturday, so no school.

"I don't know," Dipper said. "Bill, any plans?"

"Not yet, but we haven't even had breakfast, so who knows? Hey, maybe you could show me around town a little bit more?"

"Sounds great," Dipper agreed.

The day before, Dipper had asked if Bill was new in town as they'd never met before. Bill had said he was, and when Dipper asked what brought him to Piedmont, he'd learned then that Bill was a mage, meaning he had certain abilities that normal humans didn't have. People like him were well-known, but they weren't accepted by everyone, hence Bill getting kicked out by his parents as soon as he showed signs of magic. He'd ended up at a boarding school for people like him, until he graduated 3 months ago. Since he'd worked hard and made stellar grades, he was given a certain amount of money to start out in the real world. As the 5th person from the top of his class, he was given $10,000 dollars. He'd been traveling around through different towns since then, trying to find the right place to settle down and get some sort of job until he decided on a real career when he met Dipper his after school job. (Dipper's boss, who was pretty cool, had congratulated Dipper and told him to take the week off with pay.)

Breakfast was good, and they managed to save some pancakes for their parents in case they came home hungry. No sooner had they all loaded their plates into the dishwasher than their parents came in through the door. "Kids?!" they heard their mom call.

"In the kitchen!" Mabel called back.

Almost immediately, their parents entered the kitchen. They must have left their bags in the entryway. More than likely they'd have their kids take care of it. "Come give us a hug," their mom said with a big smile. Happily enough, the twins went forward to hug their parents. "Has everything been okay here?" they were asked.

"Been great. We have news, too," Mabel said excitedly, though Dipper was a little nervous. He didn't know why, maybe it was normal to be nervous when introducing one's soulmate to their parents for the first time.

"Oh, what would that be?" their dad asked. "And who's this?" Apparently, he had just noticed Bill, who was hanging back to let the twins have their moment with their returning parents.

"Well, lucky for you, we can answer both of those questions at the same time. Dipper met his soulmate yesterday!" Mabel gushed.

"Him?" their mother demanded. "Dipper's soulmate is another boy?"

"Yeah," Mabel said, clearly not seeing the problem.

"But, that's wrong," their dad argued.

"What do you mean it's wrong? You can't control who your soulmate is – it just is how it is," Mabel argued. Now Dipper realized why he'd been so nervous – he remembered reading somewhere that some people looked down on those whose soulmate was the same gender as them, something about it meaning you were twisted the wrong way or needed to keep looking because you were wrong and hadn't really found them.

"I mean just what I said, Mabel, dear. Your soulmate can't possibly share your gender – it only leads to dysfunctional, broken relationships. Dipper, I'm afraid we can't let you do this to yourself."

"Try and stop me," Dipper challenged. "Bill's my soulmate and there's nothing you can do about that. We get along great, it's like we were made for each other. Oh, wait, maybe that's because we were. There isn't anyone else for me, not like Bill, not as good as Bill. He's my soulmate and there's nothing you can do to fix that."

"Is that really the way you feel?" their father asked.

"Of course, it is. How would you have felt if someone had told you that you couldn't be with mom?"

"That would be different. We aren't broken like you apparently are."

"I'm not broken," Dipper protested. He tried to sound determined, but his voice was getting a little shaky as his parents continued to refuse to listen.

"If you're going to be with another boy, it won't be under our roof. He's leaving this house for good. It's your choice whether you go with him or not."

"You're kicking me out?"

"Only if you can't let go of this insanity."

"Fine. I'll leave. Just remember you're the one who asked me to. I'm never coming back, I don't want anything to do with either of you ever again," Dipper said.

"Wait!" Mabel said. "You can't do that! I won't let you! If he goes, I go."

"We wouldn't want a daughter who supported a fag anyway," their mother spat out. "You all have thirty minutes to collect any belongings you don't want us to burn."

Feeling numb, Dipper blindly went up the stairs to his bedroom, thinking idly that it was for the last time. He got out a suitcase and began throwing in t-shirts, shorts, jeans, boxers, sweatshirts, and socks. He added Wendy's hat on top, still with the note everyone had signed 3 summers ago. They'd been back once since then, when they were 14. Having only just turned 16, it had only been about a year.

Dipper went to his bookcase and looked at the titles – all of them that he'd read at least once. Sighing, he chose a few that were his favorites, knowing he'd only be able to carry so many in his suitcase – books were heavy. He got a separate bag for all his shoes – which there weren't that many of, really. He didn't worry about his toothbrush – he could just buy a new one whenever they got to where they were going, and he needed all the space he could get. He had a box full of important mementos, and he put that on top of his zipped-up suitcase.

He got his backpack out and put some of his better sketchbooks in it and dumped the contents of his pencil cup into one of the smaller pouches. He got his secret stash of money from the top shelf of his closet and put it into his backpack as well. He did a final survey of his room, and only then noticed that Bill was standing in the doorway, watching him with concern and sadness written across his features.

"You need any help with anything Pine Tree?" he asked softly.

Dipper didn't know if it was the fact that he suddenly remembered he wasn't alone, the reminder that Bill had been kicked out too, or just the fact that someone was showing concern for him, but just like that the numbness was gone and he was overcome with emotion. Tears flowed down his face and Bill was just there, holding him tightly and running fingers through his hair, the other hand rubbing soothingly up and down his back. "Shhh, it's gonna be okay. I'm here, and I'm gonna make sure everything works out. I'll take care of you. I doubt this helps, but your parents are jerks, and I think you're better off without them, even though it doesn't feel like it now. If they'll kick you out for something like this that's completely out of your control anyway, they were never really your family. Your sister, on the other hand, is pretty cool, I must say."

"Yeah," Dipper said, generally agreeing with everything Bill had said. He relaxed against Bill, letting the other teen hold him up as he got control of his crying.

"Now, is there anything I can help you with? I know thirty minutes isn't long to pack up your life, but being a wizard can help."

"Well, if there was any way you could make it possible for me to have all my books without pulling a muscle trying to carry them, that would be pretty amazing."

"If you could tie them together or just connect them somehow, I can float them down to the car when we get ready to leave. Telekinesis, you know."

"Awesome," Dipper said, getting an old box to put his books and other sketchbooks in. Now knowing there wasn't a weight limit, he did another once-over of his room, but didn't see anything he really wanted to keep. "I think I'm good, now. Let's go check on Mabel."

They found Mabel, whose bedroom was next to Dipper's, pausing packing her own bags. She seemed to be trying to decide which sweaters to pack. "You want some help with that?" Dipper asked.

"Only if you know how to magically let me pack every sweater I own," she replied.

"Well…" Bill said, waggling his eyebrows, "I might just be able to help you there."

"Really!?"

"Yeah, just make sure they're connected one way or another so I don't have to focus on them individually and I can use telekinesis to float them down with us. That's how Dipper's getting all his books packed."

"Oh, you're the best!" Mabel proceeded to tie the corners of her bed-sheet together to make a makeshift bag. "I'm ready now. Everything else is packed. I do feel like I'm forgetting something, though."

"Got your scrapbook?"

"Yes."

"Waddles?"

"Yep."

"Shoes?"

"Yep."

"Other clothes?"

"Yes."

"Girly stuff I don't know about?"

"Pads!" Mabel yelled, rushing to her bathroom. "Thanks, Dipper. We would have been going to CVS quick."

Dipper grimaced, still uncomfortable with the female reproductive system. Well, looked like he never had to be comfortable with it, now.

"Five minutes, you ungrateful wretches!" their mother yelled.

"Guess that's our cue," Dipper said. The twins plus Waddles and Bill made their way downstairs, piling into the car without a word. They were glad they'd saved enough money to buy a car together after turning 16. It was used and 10 years old, but it ran too well for them to complain. They pulled out of the driveway without a backward glance.

"Now what?" Mabel asked. They'd put Bill behind the wheel, just because he was the more emotionally stable out of them in that moment.

"Well, first we're gonna stop at the hotel I stayed at earlier this week – most of my stuff is still there and I have to check out. I only paid for up to today. After that, I'm not sure," Bill said.

"I know Bill has some money, and I've got some, too, but I don't think we've got enough to actually buy a place," Dipper said.

"So, we're stranded?" Mabel asked. "We don't have anywhere to go?"

"I gue—Mabel, what are we thinking? We can go stay with Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford. I'm sure they'd be okay with this, right?"

"Let's call them!" Mabel said eagerly, happy at the prospect of a solution. Dipper got his phone out and put it on speaker with the Mystery Shack on the line.

"Mystery Shack," answered a familiar female voice.

"Wendy!" Mabel said. "It's so great to hear your voice right now."

"I can't believe you're still working there," Dipper said.

"Hey, it's not a horrible job for a 19-year-old," Wendy defended. "What are you two calling about, anyway?"

"We need to talk to one of the Stans," Dipper said. "It's important."

"Sure," Wendy said. "Hey old man! The twins want to talk to you on the phone!" they heard her shout.

Soon enough, they heard their Grunkle Stan's voice. "Hey, kids. What's up?"

"We need a place to stay," Mabel said.

"Sure. Attic is always open to you two idiots," Stan said.

"No, you don't understand," Dipper said. "We need to come live with you. Permanently. Or at least as long as kids live with a parental figure."

"What are you talking about?" Stan asked with an edge to his voice.

"Our parents just kicked us out," Mabel explained sadly.

"What the hell for?" Stan demanded.

"Dipper met his soulmate yesterday, but his soulmate is another boy and they have a problem with that. They said they didn't want Bill under their roof again, and Dipper could either go with him and never come back, or agree to never see him again. I told them they'd have to get rid of me too if they kicked Dipper out. They said that was fine. So now we're in the car with most of our stuff and Dipper's soulmate, Bill."

"I reckon this Bill fellow will be staying here, too?"

"Yeah, if that's okay with you," Dipper said.

"Sure, we've still got that extra room," Stan said.

"Wait, you don't expect me and Mabel to still share the attic, do you? It's not that I don't love her, but we're 16. No offense, Mabel, but I don't personally want to share a room with a girl at this age."

"None taken, bro, bro. I feel the same way. Just let Dipper and Bill share."

"Hell no. I don't have a problem with them both being boys, but I'm not going to have my nephew's innocence taken under my roof."

"Grunkle Stan, come on. We slept in the same bed last night and nothing happened. It's not like we're going to do anything a week after meeting each other. We haven't even been on a proper date yet. Just trust us, please."

"I'll make that decision after you get here and I meet him. Just try to get here soon, okay?"

"Grunkle Stan, it's a 10-hour drive, and we're probably gonna have to stop for food on the way at least once," Dipper said.

"Irrelevant. Get here soon."

"Do our best," Mabel said before hanging up. "That went well," she said.

"Yeah, I guess it did," Dipper agreed.

* * *

 ** _AN: I just discovered Gravity Falls and watched it in 4 days (because who needs sleep) and soon after discovered the Bill/Dipper ship and here we are. I've sort of accepted that I'm doomed to ship all the stupid, non-canon ships. Started writing this and decided, hey I haven't posted anything in a while. So, there you go. I don't know yet if I want to add more to it. Drop me a review if you're interested in seeing more, and feel free to tell me anything specific you'd like to see._**

 ** _If you're wondering, Bill is a mage because I didn't want him to be a demon, but I still wanted him to have some powers, and this is fanfiction so i can do what I want(?). And yes, I did make a Bob's Burgers reference._**


	2. Stupid Robbie

**_AN: I wrote another chapter! Yay! It actually turned out almost twice as long as I planned because I came up with a few ideas while I was editing. I should probably tell you guys that I left a few things out of the main story without realizing it. I had written down Bill and Dipper's original meeting for my own benefit, and there were a few things in there I had assumed were in chapter one that hadn't actually made it (like the fact that Bill wears an eye patch, but I think that's a pretty widely shared headcanon with human!Bill). I plan on posting that meeting as a separate, short prequel (maybe tonight?) so you can read it even though it doesn't really go with the current line of the story (I suck at non-linear writing, so that's not gonna happen). On with the story!_**

* * *

After they stopped for lunch at a McDonald's, Dipper took over driving. Apparently, Bill didn't actually have a driver's license. He knew how to drive, but he didn't have a car and so had never seen a point in getting a license. The last thing any of them wanted that day was to get pulled over and possibly arrested. As they made their way north, they really got to know Bill and vice versa. They told Bill about the journals, how they found out they were written by their second Grunkle, how they'd faced gnomes, a river monster that turned out to be a machine, a multi-bear, ghosts, living wax figures, petty unicorns, a shapeshifter in an underground fallout shelter, a Summerween trickster (which led to an explanation of Summerween), and a time agent.

Bill avidly listened to all their stories, then proceeded to regale them with tales of his own childhood. Apparently, when he was 11, he'd illicitly taken one of the cats that hung around outside his dormitory into his dorm room. In order to keep his roommate quiet, he'd promised to do all the other boy's written assignments for two weeks. After making it a condition that Bill had to make the work believable, they shook on it. Bill made it too believable, though, and earned his roommate bad grades because "the kid really wasn't the brightest." As soon as he realized what was going on, Bill's roommate told the person in charge of their floor about the cat. Bill had detention for a week but considered it to be completely worth it.

The twins also got to hear about a prank war he'd gotten into with one of his best friends. They didn't get any real details as far as methods – a guy can't give away all his tricks – but apparently hair and teeth had turned multiple different colors, air freshener bombs got out of proportion, air horns were put in ungodly places, desserts were ruined with various substances, things had been encased in Jell-O, entire drawers of important clothing items went missing for days, and finally, fireworks had come very close to being classed as murder weapons.

Eventually, an easy silence fell over the group as they relaxed and enjoyed the west coast scenery. At around 6:30, they stopped at a diner for dinner, after which Mabel took over driving. At that point, they were about 3 hours from Gravity Falls, and Dipper and Bill both faded in and out of sleep, tired from the long drive. Mabel just relaxed and enjoyed the music coming from the car's CD player.

At 10:35, they finally pulled up to Mystery Shack. Dipper was still fast asleep, so Bill just picked him up bridal style and followed Mabel inside. They would get their bags in the morning; they were too tired to unpack anything anyway. Grunkle Ford met them at the door. "Stan told me what happened," he said, whispering as he noticed Dipper was asleep. He pulled Mabel into a hug, which she gladly accepted. "I missed you two."

"We missed you, too, Grunkle Ford," Mabel replied. "Oh, and this is Bill."

"Hello, sir," Bill greeted politely, unsure what the man was expecting from him.

"None of that. I know I'm old, but I don't like to be reminded. Just call me Ford. You look like you could all use some rest. I'll wake Stan up so he can see that you got here safely, and then I'll let you all get some sleep. We can discuss things in the morning."

They followed Ford to the living room, where Stan was asleep in his chair, fully dressed. "Stan, wake up, the kids are here," Ford said.

"Huh?" Stan mumbled before he opened his eyes and saw Mabel standing next to a very tall Bill with Dipper in his arms. "Oh, hey," he said, still waking up fully.

Mabel went forward and gave him a hug. "It's good to see you, Grunkle Stan," she said.

"You, too," Stan agreed, squeezing her tightly. "Your brother doing okay?"

"He will be," Mabel answered.

"You must be Bill."

"Yes, sir."

"No, call me Stan. We'll talk in the morning, because we're all tired, but if you do anything funny tonight you're out," he said.

"Right, of course," Bill said, smiling a little at the similarity between the two brothers.

"Goodnight, guys," Mabel said as she led Bill up the stairs to her and Dipper's old attic room. "Bill, I don't expect this to be permanent, because that would just be weird, but do you think we could all sleep together?"

"I don't see why not," Bill said kindly. "We've all had a long day anyway." They climbed the rest of the stairs and entered the attic room. Without having to ask or lift a finger, Bill moved the two twin beds together to make one big bed they could all share.

Mabel gave him a small smile at the gesture, but then asked, "Why'd you carry Dipper if you could have just floated him? Does it not work on people or something?"

"Oh, it works on people. That's how my friend got caught on the chandelier in the entrance hall one day. I just wanted to have him close."

Mabel grinned knowingly, almost as if she had expected that answer. "I like you," she said.

Bill laid Dipper down on the bed before pulling off his vest, shoes, and hat. He pulled off his own shoes next, as Mabel did the same, and climbed into bed beside Dipper. Mabel got in on the other side, putting Dipper in the middle. He briefly woke up as the bed dipped on both sides of him, but Bill just whispered, "Go back to sleep, Pine Tree. I'll see you in the morning." Just like that he was out again, with a small smile on his face.

* * *

Mabel wasn't surprised when she was the first one awake the following morning. She noticed how Bill and Dipper were curled close to one another in sleep, so of course she couldn't resist taking a picture of them. That was one for the scrapbook for sure.

After getting dressed, she made her way down to the kitchen to see her Grunkles both awake and drinking coffee. Stan was reading the newspaper while Ford was writing something on a notepad. "Good morning," she said with a bright smile at them.

"Good morning, Mabel," Ford replied, glancing up at her for a brief moment.

"Morning," Stan grunted, not looking away from his paper.

Mabel knew her Grunkle Stan was the farthest thing from a morning person, so she didn't take it personally. She just poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table with them.

"How are you feeling this morning, kid?" Stan asked after he'd had a few more sips of his coffee.

"I'm great," Mabel said.

"Really?" Ford asked, joining the conversation. "You and your brother just got kicked out of your home and you're great?"

"Yeah," Mabel said, as if they were completely stupid. "If they were so willing to kick us out over something like this, it's their stupid problem. Who needs them, right?"

"That's a very mature attitude to have," Ford said.

"Well, if you ever decide to stop being mature," Stan said, "you know you can always come talk to us."

"Sure thing, Grunkle Stan. So, what's the plan for today?"

"That one's going grocery shopping," Stan said, gesturing to Ford. "Other than that, I don't know. Is there anything you kids wanted to do?"

"We didn't really get into that," Mabel said, "but I'm sure Bill would love for us to show him around town."

"Right," Stan said with a strange look on his face.

"Don't tell me you've suddenly got a problem with Bill," Mabel said in disbelief, making Ford tune back in to the conversation again from where he'd been presumably making a shopping list.

"No, it's nothing like that. I just don't know the kid and I don't like the thought of him running willy-nilly through my town without anyone to stop him from wreaking havoc. "

"What do you mean? We'll be with him."

"Yeah, well, who says for sure you could stop him if you wanted to?" Stan argued back.

"What are you even worried about?" Mabel asked, completely confused. "It's not like he's just gonna go around raising the undead and causing time anomalies – that's what me and Dipper are here for," she pointed out, only slightly joking.

"He's not worried about the town," Ford said with a smirk.

"What do you know?" Stan retorted.

"You," Ford deadpanned.

"Wait, so what is he worried about, then?"

"Dipper," Ford said. "This is him being a protective old sap."

"Shut up, old man," Stan grumbled.

"Oh, I see how it is," Mabel said with a huge grin. "That's so sweet of you. Don't worry, though. The only teenager who's allowed to mess with my brother is me, and I happen to know a few magical creatures around town who'll back me up if I need them, not to mention two not-so-very-old men who may or may not be twins."

"Don't know what you're talking about, kid," Stan denied.

"Says the guy who threatened a bus driver over a pig he pretends to hate," Mabel pointed out.

Stan didn't say anything, making Ford laugh. "Stanley, I'm sure the kid will be fine. He's a tough one. Besides, Bill seems like a decent guy."

"How can you tell? We met him for all of 2 minutes late last night."

"I am an excellent judge of character," Ford said confidently.

"Sure, you are," Stan said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

It wasn't long after that when Dipper and Bill came down the stairs together. Dipper wordlessly poured a cup of coffee for himself. "Good morning," Bill said for both of them.

"Morning," Ford replied. "Sleep well?"

"Mhm," Dipper hummed as he began to drink his coffee.

Bill got a strange sense of Déjà vu at the exchange. "You know that stuff's not good for you, right?" he said, shaking off the feeling.

"I know and I don't care," Dipper answered. "I need it."

"It can also be addictive," Bill added with a smile at the last comment.

"Screw you," Dipper grumbled.

"Careful what you ask for, Pine Tree," said Bill, who was now smirking.

Dipper prided himself on the fact that he barely blushed at all.

Once the coffee began to work its magic, he began to take an active role in what was going on around him. As he woke up, his brain caught on to the fact that there was a lot that needed to get done in this new situation. "So, what's next? We still need to discuss the rooming situation – I have very strong opinions on that one and have supporting evidence that I'm not afraid to use. Bill might need a job, I guess. Plus, we need to enroll in school here at some point. We probably need to get on your medical insurance – and car insurance. We both took driver's education, by the way, so that lowers rates. There's probably plenty of other stuff I'm not thinking about, too.

"And do our parents have to sign over guardianship to you guys or do we just lie to the school and everyone else? And does this effect getting a new license plate sticker every year? How do you register for that? What if something happens before we can get everything worked out? I don't know how long it takes to transfer medical insurances, but it can't be easy - it doesn't sound easy - so what if we somehow end up in the hospital and don't have any insurance apart from our parents? I doubt they would care. They just kicked us out. What do hospitals do when you don't have insurance?"

"Slow down," Bill cut in, placing a calming hand on Dipper's shoulder. "We just got here. There's plenty of time for all that stuff. You worry way too much for someone your age, if you ask me. I say we take today to just relax and settle in, maybe you can show me around so I can put some locations to those stories you told me about, and we can worry about insurance tomorrow?"

"Yeah, okay, you're right," Dipper said, taking calming breaths. He really needed to learn to relax some. Maybe he really should lay off the coffee? "I still want to go ahead and establish the sleeping situation. My thoughts are that Bill and I can have that room that had the body-switching carpet, since there are two of us and it's a little bigger, and Mabel can keep the attic."

"Body-switching carpet?" Bill asked.

"Long story. We'll explain later," said Mabel. Bill nodded in acceptance.

"I don't know about that, Dipper," Stan said. "What do you think, Ford? I stick to what I said last night."

"I think both of your opinions are reasonable. However, I'm going to side with Dipper on this one. I understand your concerns, Stanley. Believe me, if I find them doing anything inappropriate this early on, I'm going to have some words with both of them. On the other hand, it's very healthy for soulmates to sleep in each other's presence, especially at this stage. We all know that prolonged separation from your soulmate after initially meeting them is dangerous – one of the many reasons I fully intend on giving the twins' parents a piece of my mind – and in the same way, the more time they can spend together, the better. Their psyches will especially appreciate the long, uninterrupted time together. Additionally, we both know they're going to do... certain things together at some point, and keeping them from sleeping in the same room will hardly stop them. I say we let them share a room."

Stan leveled his gaze at Bill. "You promise me you won't get carried away with this allowance?"

"Cross my heart," Bill said. The comment could be taken lightly if not for the serious look in his eye.

"Fine," Stan relented.

* * *

The following day, which was Monday, Ford called the local high school to begin the process of enrolling the twins. Meanwhile, Bill and the twins worked (hung out, whatever) in the gift shop. There were the usual number of tourists – enough to keep them occupied while also giving them enough time to slack off as they pleased. It was just after lunch when a very unwelcome face showed itself through the door.

"What do you want, Robbie?" Wendy asked with a sigh. He still hadn't been able to completely let go of her, but his behavior was predictable enough, and Wendy was used to/tired of it enough, that there was never much of a reaction to his presence. It was clear no one particularly wanted him around, but no one wanted to put in the energy to kick him out anymore so they mostly tolerated him until he decided to leave on his own.

"Just thought I'd, you know, drop in, say hello, see if you were busy this weekend."

"I am," said Wendy, refusing to look away from the shelf she was re-stocking.

"Oh? What do you have planned?" Robbie asked. He rested a hand on the counter near Wendy, leaning on it, but the surface had just been cleaned and was still wet. Robbie barely kept himself from falling over when his hand slipped before trying to pretend nothing had happened. Dipper only let out a small snicker at seeing the still-moody nineteen-year-old's clumsy moment. It was enough to earn him Robbie's attention.

"My plans are to enjoy my weekend without having to see you," Wendy said, her tone allowing for no protest.

"What are you doing in town, dork?" asked Robbie, his mind distracted temporarily from the redhead. He looked down his nose at Dipper, who still wasn't as tall as he'd like to be.

Bill, who had been watching the interaction with a little curiosity, started paying closer attention. As much as he hated it, he knew it would be best not to immediately jump to Dipper's aid. He was very protective of his Pine Tree, but his Pine Tree was someone who could defend himself and deserved to not be babied.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Dipper deflected. He wasn't about to tell Robbie of all people that his parents had kicked him out.

"No, I wouldn't. I don't actually care," said Robbie. "I just thought it was weird, you being here during the school year. Thought maybe you dropped out."

"Why would Dipper of all people drop out?" Mabel piped up. "He's the last person who would do that."

"Whatever," Robbie said. "Who's that?" he asked, looking at Bill, who was the only other person in the room at the time.

"I'm Bill," the person in question answered.

"What are you doing here, Bill?" Robbie asked, making Bill's name sound like an insult.

"He's here because he's my soulmate," Dipper said, feeling a little defensive at the way Robbie was talking.

Robbie started laughing then. "Figures," he sneered.

"What does that even mean?" Dipper questioned.

"It means only a freak like you would have a soulmate the same gender," Robbie said. "I guess this just shows how crappy you really are. You've already got a stupid name and a stupid birthmark, you're a skinny little wimp, you're a useless nerd who wouldn't be able to function without his precious books, and you just get more weird and awkward every time I talk to you. A robot would have more luck making friends than you do. I mean, come on, you've got your twin sister who's always been stuck with you, the people who work for your relatives, and now your soulmate who doesn't have much of a choice. I bet the reason you're here is because your parents kicked you out because they finally got fed up with your BS. I always had a feeling you wouldn't amount to much, now I know for sure. You're a sorry excuse for a human being and you'd be doing yourself and everyone else a favor if you just died already."

Dipper felt himself freeze. He'd been hearing most of those things from people his entire life, but that didn't make it any easier; if anything, it made things worse. All his insecurities, which had been making themselves quite comfortable in the very back of his mind for a while now, came back to the forefront again. He hated that feeling. He had finally been convinced that Mabel, the queen of social butterflies, didn't mind hanging out with her twin brother, who was admittedly on the awkward side. Now, he found himself doubting Bill's true feelings as well for the first time. Logically, Bill probably did genuinely care about him, but how could Dipper know?

Suddenly, Bill was right in front of Robbie. "Apologize," he demanded.

"Why should I?" Robbie replied.

"Because you won't like what happens when you don't," answered Bill.

"I'm not scared of you."

"Maybe you should be," Bill threatened. Anyone looking at his eye would be right to speculate they could see a flame just beneath the surface.

Robbie backed away a little – perhaps he wasn't being honest about his lack of fear – but Bill followed him. "Fine," he said. "I'm sorry." It was clear he wasn't.

"You will be if you ever mess with him again. Now get lost." Robbie was gone quickly after that.

"I'm sorry, Dipper," Wendy immediately said.

"Don't be," Dipper said. "It's not your fault he's an idiot, and you didn't exactly invite him here."

"I guess you're right," Wendy reluctantly agreed. She still felt bad about it. She never should have agreed to give Robbie a chance.

"Hey, what was that about a birthmark?" Bill asked tentatively. He had plans to address the rest of what had been said, but not in front of everyone. Maybe this would distract Dipper?

"Oh, well, my name isn't really Dipper. Technically, it's Mason. Dipper's just a nickname that came from this," he said, removing his hat and lifting his bangs. "I started hiding it around middle school."

"But that's so cool!" Bill said, reaching out to brush a gentle finger over the skin. He smiled when he saw Dipper blushing – it didn't take much, apparently. It also seemed that it went towards cheering Dipper up. Robbie claimed the birthmark was stupid. Bill said it was cool. Bill cared about him, told him the truth. Robbie was a liar who just wanted to hurt Dipper.

The rest of the day went smoothly enough. Dipper was a little subdued, but Mabel noticed happily that he wasn't half as bad as he normally would've been. Dipper had almost always had trouble with people their age picking on him for his books and his birthmark, among other things - basically everything Robbie had just said. Mabel had occasionally been on the wrong end of their classmates' insults as well, but never quite as often or intensely as Dipper. He always tried to hide it, but even now those things affected him. She was happy to see that Bill had lessened the effect.

* * *

That night, after they'd eaten dinner and watched the first 'Phantom Bust-ifiers' movie, Bill and Dipper went to their room together to get some sleep. Dipper changed into sweats and a t-shirt to sleep in - he usually slept in a t-shirt and boxers until about November, but he wasn't ready to do that yet around Bill. Call him shy. Dipper got comfortable under the covers when Bill, who had already changed into some light pajama pants he had, spoke up. "Hey, Pine Tree, I've got a question, and I want you to be completely honest. I normally sleep without a shirt on - it's more comfortable for me. Would that bother you?"

"No. Th-that's fine," Dipper said, trying so hard not to stutter.

"Are you sure, Pine Tree?" Bill asked in all seriousness.

"Yeah, I'm sure," answered Dipper.

With a nod, Bill slipped off the shirt he'd been wearing all day before sliding under the covers beside Dipper. Deciding he wanted to go for it, Dipper moved over and pillowed his head on Bill's bare chest. He was so warm and smooth and soft, and Dipper suddenly wanted to touch all over his skin. He shouldn't, though. They hadn't even kissed, it would hardly be appropriate to start rubbing all over the other teen.

Bill started talking, distracting Dipper from his thoughts. "I want you to know Robbie was wrong. You already know I love your birthmark, and my opinion obviously matters more than Robbie's." The last part of the sentence was said with humor in his voice. "Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with being a nerd - I personally think smart is sexy - and there's nothing wrong with you. Everything that came out of his mouth was a lie. It's alright not to be Mr. Popular. I also don't feel like I'm tied down to you. There really isn't anywhere else I'd rather be right now, and it's not just because you're my soulmate. I just like being around you. Your family here is pretty cool, too."

"Thanks, Bill," Dipper whispered. He was a little overwhelmed - he hadn't expected Bill to come back at the end of the day and reassure him about all of what Robbie had said, but he was glad he had. He was also glad Bill had waited until they were alone to do it. The lamp beside their - yes, their - bed was still on, so Dipper was able to turn and look at Bill's face. He had a triangular eye patch over one eye and had so far not taken it off around Dipper - even to sleep. "Are you ever going to show or explain to me what's under that eye patch?" Dipper asked him.

"You really want to know?" Bill checked.

"Only if you're okay with telling me," answered Dipper.

"Well, I'll tell you what happened, and then you can decide if you still want to see. I mentioned I had a best friend back at school, right? Well, we're not friends anymore. The way it went down is simple enough. It was close to graduation. We'd been friends a long time and I would have sworn that I knew everything about him, but I caught him... hurting someone else. I called out, told him to stop. He turned around and tried to remove my memory - something he had the power to do. That was the day I found out I was immune to that little possibility. I saw the other person had gotten away, though, so I acted like it worked and went back to our room - we were roommates that year.

"While I was there I went looking through his stuff, found evidence he'd done this plenty of times before and wasn't planning on stopping, and then I reported it. I was still in the office when he was brought in. He knew right off what had happened. We ended up getting in a fight right there. The only permanent damage he did was to my eye, which ended up having to be removed. The told me they could give me a glass eye or an eye patch. I requested the eye patch because I thought it would look cooler."

"I'm sorry about losing your friend that way. It couldn't have been easy," Dipper sympathized.

"Thanks, Dipper. So, you still want to see my empty eye socket?"

"Kind of... Is that weird?"

"Not too weird," Bill said. "If it doesn't bother you too much, I normally don't sleep in the eye patch, either, so let me know." Bill slowly lifted the eye patch over his head. Dipper looked at his eye - or where his eye would be, rather. It really wasn't as gross as he was expecting. It was just a bit of empty space that wasn't normally there. He wasn't bothered by it at all. Bill, on the other hand, looked extremely nervous. That was a first.

Feeling bold, Dipper moved up so that he was hovering slightly over Bill before placing a kiss right below the empty spot. He would have put it directly on it, but didn't know if it was sensitive or not. "It doesn't bother me in the slightest, Bill," Dipper assured him.

"You mean that?" Bill asked. "I never thought there would be someone who wouldn't be grossed out by it."

"Well, it doesn't look gross at all to me. A little different, but not gross."

"You know, it's kind of funny," Bill observed. "The mark on my wrist is a pine tree, the symbol on your hat which you use to make sure your hair covers your birthmark. The mark on your wrist is a one-eyed triangle - a representation of the eye patch I use to cover my missing eye. Both of our marks hide something we're embarrassed about that the other of us doesn't even mind."

"Well aren't you just poetic tonight?" Dipper teased, though really he thought it was sweet. Bill could easily tell.

An hour later, Dipper woke up extremely hot. "Screw it," he muttered, taking off his sweat pants and chucking them across the room. Boxers were perfectly decent attire for sleeping with your boyfriend.

* * *

 ** _AN: What did you guys think? Leave me a review to let me know! Feel free to point out any glaring mistakes so I can go back and fix them. I appreciate constructive criticism. I've started chapter 3, which should be up within the next week._**

 ** _Special thanks to Nhus321, without whom this chapter would not have happened!_**

 ** _Thanks to everyone else who read/reviewed/favorited/followed as well._**

 ** _Edit as of 12-18-18: Previously, Bill snuck a dog into his dorm room. Since then, I realized I prefer the thought of Bill as a cat person. So he's a cat person now._**


	3. Stupid Gideon

**_AN: This chapter is a little shorter than the last one and it's up later than I planned, so I apologize for that. There's also not too much romance in this one. Hope everyone enjoys it anyway :)_**

* * *

While the twins were in school later that week, Bill took the opportunity to explore the town on his own. He was walking in the direction of Dusk 2 Dawn when he bumped into a boy who was possibly 14 years old. "Sorry, kid. My bad," Bill apologized.

The boy looked like he was about to round on him when he took a closer look at him. He suddenly looked much more agreeable. "You're a mage, aren't you?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm needing some help with something, and you might be just the right man for the job. If you help me get what I want, I might even do something for you in return," he said with a scheming look in his eye.

Bill considered the proposition. He already knew the kid was obnoxious; he was already cringing at the sound of his voice. It might be interesting to see what the kid wanted, though, since he didn't really have anything else to do. Besides, he could always refuse as long as he didn't bind himself to an arrangement. "Depends on what it is you're after," he stated.

"Well, you see, there's this little girl, about my age, and all I want is a chance to talk to her, get to know her, you know? But her family is in dispute with mine, and they won't let me anywhere near her. I'm at a loss for what to do with my predicament."

Bill mentally raised a brow at what the boy was saying. It sounded suspiciously sugarcoated. Not to mention, he couldn't remember ever hearing someone so young speak in such a way in a casual conversation. "I'm gonna need a little more than that if I'm going to help you."

"Alright, I can accommodate that. What's your name, by the way?"

"Bill Cipher."

"Well, Bill Cipher, my name is Gideon Gleeful, and it'll be a pleasure doing business with you," Gideon said, holding out his right hand to shake.

"Hold your horses there, Gideon. I'm don't shake a hand until I know exactly what I'm getting into." It was once common practice for people to make deals with mages, having them do personal favors using their magic in return for something the mage wanted. Either party could turn down the deal until hands were shaken, at which point they were bound by magic and there was no turning back. Not as many people knew about it now, but it still happened and the same rules would always apply.

"Fair enough. Why don't we start off with showing you where she lives? Then maybe you can go back this afternoon once she gets home from school and ask her folks if you can talk to her, maybe go for a walk, and then I can meet the two of you somewhere and I can get a chance to talk to her for a change."

"Why aren't you in school right now?" Bill asked in feigned interest as he followed Gideon back the way Bill had come from.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Gideon asked, as if Bill's question had rendered that truth apparent.

"No, I don't guess so." Gravity Falls was such a small town that there would be no point in lying about that.

"Well, then it's understandable you haven't heard of little old me, yet. If you ever go to the Tent of Telepathy, you'll find me giving people insights on their lives and futures. It's a very rewarding job, I've found. My parents homeschool me as a reward for what I do for the townsfolk. I'm not much for social situations such as school, you see."

"Understandable," Bill said, though red flags were starting to go up. For one thing, Bill would know if Gideon was a psychic. He was obviously a fraud, though not the same kind of fraud as Dipper's Grunkle Stan. That was just getting people to waste their money. Gideon could easily screw up someone's life by giving them incorrect 'psychic readings'. He still wanted to know what the kid was up to, so he stuck around. He would either help the kid, or stop him from making some horrible kind of mischief, and not in the fun way.

When Bill realized the path that they were traveling on was the exact one he'd taken before he'd found himself in Gideon's presence, he was careful not to let Gideon see that he recognized it. Obviously, Bill still didn't have the town's layout memorized so he could be wrong, but he was almost certain that the only place they could get to from the road they were on was the Mystery Shack. If this child was interested in Mabel, Bill had a feeling he knew how to handle the situation. He'd grown to like Mabel, and anyone showing unwanted, stalkerish interest in her was going to be on the wrong end of Bill's anger. He'd check with Mabel before he did anything drastic, of course.

Sure enough, they ended up hiding in the wooded area outside the Mystery Shack. "This is where she lives with two old men and her stupid twin brother. They're all very domineering if you want my opinion. One of the old men is a lying cheating sham, and the other one is an insufferable know-it-all. Don't even get me started on her brother."

Really not wanting Gideon to get started on Dipper, Bill interjected, "What's her name?"

"Why's that important to you?" Gideon asked suspiciously.

"How else am I going to get her out of the house? I can't just ask for the female child. They'll know something's up if I do that."

"Her name is Mabel. And such a lovely name it is, don't you think?"

"Of course," Bill agreed pleasantly.

"Now don't you be getting any ideas now," Gideon said brusquely. "Mabel Pines is mine!"

It was all Bill could do not to throttle the kid with his abhorrent accent and insufferable voice and claims of ownership over his new friend. "Easy, kid. I'm not planning on making any kind of moves on her." That part, certainly, was true. "What time does she get out of school?"

"3:00."

"Alright, here's the plan. You're going to wait for us to meet you in the same place where the two of us ran into each other today. Expect us around 4:30."

"What's going to take that long?" Gideon demanded.

"I'm not exactly going to ask for her as soon as she gets home from school. That might seem like I'm stalking her." Bill couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice if he tried, but he doubted this Gideon would even notice.

"Fair enough," Gideon accepted. "Well, I guess I'll see you at 4:30," he said cheerfully, giving an enthusiastic wave as he walked away. Apparently, he had forgotten about the whole 'deal' aspect and was now only after what he wanted. Perhaps that had been his plan the whole time? It hardly mattered, really. Bill pretended to follow behind, turning at his first opportunity and eventually circling back to the shack. He needed to talk to someone who knew more about this kid, and come up with a full plan for this afternoon to get him off Mabel's back - hopefully for good. When he opened the door, he found Wendy and Soos in the gift shop.

"Are Stan or Ford here?" he asked.

"Nah. Stan went to the bus stop. Something about gathering from the source. Ford's off at the library," Wendy said without ever looking up from her magazine.

"Well, maybe you two can help me, then. Either of you know anything about a Gideon Gleeful?"

"Dude, are you kidding?" Soos asked. "He's, like, the worst person in town, which is saying something because he hasn't even been alive long enough to hold that record. I mean, you'd think the person to do the most bad things in a town would be a 40-year-old, or something, instead of a 14-year-old."

"Okay, what makes him the worst person, though?"

"Well, his voice is a good start," Wendy began. "But he runs this fake psychic tent and has just about everyone in town wrapped around his 'widdle' finger. And to top it all off he's got this creepy crush on Mabel that borders on stalking. The first summer that the twins spent here, he asked her out on a date. She agreed, tried to tell him afterward that she just wanted to be friends, and realized he wouldn't take no for an answer. Dipper, being the person that he is, offered to break up with him for her because she kept on getting cold feet out of some misguided pity. Apparently, Gideon thought Dipper was trying to come between them without Mabel's agreement, so he sort of kidnapped Dipper and had some weird fight with him in some warehouse full of his own merchandise. I wasn't there and don't know all the details, but eventually Mabel showed up to break things off with him herself after all, and she told Gideon to his face that she was the farthest thing from interested. They tried to forcefully persuade him to let them be, but he still hasn't really given up."

"Why do you ask?" Soos inquired.

"I ran into him in town. I told him my name, but he didn't connect me to Dipper - probably because it hasn't been that long since we got to town. He did recognize that I was a mage and basically asked me to lure Mabel out of the house to talk to him. His side of the story is that her family is keeping them apart. I humored him so he's going to be waiting close to Dusk 2 Dawn at 4:30. Obviously I'm not going to just bring Mabel to him, but I'm not sure exactly what I should do. I would like to come up with a way to get him to leave Mabel alone long-term, especially since she lives here now and isn't just visiting for a few months."

"Dudes, I have a great idea," Soos said.

"Let's hear it, then," Bill answered.

"Well, Dipper and Mabel are twins, right? So, we put Dipper in a wig and one of Mabel's sweaters, and Gideon won't know the difference. Dipper can just punch him in the nose and tell Gideon to leave him alone, but Gideon will think Mabel just punched him and told him to leave Mabel alone, even though it was really Dipper, and then Mabel doesn't have to even see Gideon, and he'll leave her alone. You see what I'm getting at here?"

Bill was winding up to say a very firm 'absolutely not' when Wendy beat him to the punch. "No offense, Soos, but that's a terrible plan. For one thing, we don't have a wig. And after puberty, there's a certain thing or two Mabel has that we know Dipper doesn't. Even if we got the real Mabel to tell Gideon to piss off, it wouldn't work because she's already tried that and you see where we are now, so I doubt having a fake Mabel reject Gideon would go over any smoother."

"It's still a great plan," Soos insisted with all the confidence of someone whose faith in themselves couldn't be swayed for anything.

"Sure," Wendy said. There was really no point in arguing with Soos – he was a little too optimistic to admit defeat.

"Do you think it would be a bad idea to involve Dipper and Mabel in this? I don't want to freak them out," Bill said. He was still getting a feel for how tough the twins were – or weren't? – and he knew if he had someone stalking him it would bother him a good bit.

"They've handled much worse at a far younger age, they can handle this without breaking a sweat," Wendy assured him.

"That's good, I guess. I'd still like to have something of a plan by the time they get home. I did tell him 4:30 to give us more of a head start and I'd like to not waste any of it."

"You could just show up without Mabel and give him some really intimidating threat about rearranging his face or something if he doesn't back off," Wendy said.

"I can't rearrange people's faces, although I do like the creativity. And that kid won't know the difference," Bill mused.

"You could also threaten to hand him over to Stan as an exhibit in the shack," Wendy said.

"Not bad, but I still need more. This calls for a certain level of diabolical-ness. Perhaps I should do something tangible to intimidate him."

"What exactly are you capable of?" Wendy asked.

"Healing, telekinesis, teleporting anything smaller than a building that isn't myself, I can produce a flame, and I can get into someone's head if I want, but they have to be asleep and I'd need a part of their DNA."

"That's perfect," Wendy said. "All of those can be used to scare the crap out of Gideon."

"You think so?" Bill asked.

"Well, maybe not the healing, but everything else would be perfect. You could send him flying around in the air, teleport him to a dark, locked room somewhere and leave him there for a few hours, put him inside a circle of flame, shoot flames at him and miss – or not – and get a piece of his hair and torment him in his dreams for a week. He'll go crazy, and he'd probably leave Mabel alone. Or you could just do one of those things."

"Wendy, I like the way you think. I am making a mental note not to ever get on your bad side, though."

Wendy didn't address what he'd said other than the smirk on her face growing more evil for a moment. Then she added, "Hey, and if you want I could come with you. I have pretty good skills with an axe."

"We'll see. I might take this one solo. I'm going to talk to Dipper and Mabel before I decide anything for sure."

"What's going on?" Ford asked curiously as he entered the gift shop.

"Gideon's trying to get back with Mabel again," Wendy said.

"I ought to go and show him a piece of my mind," Ford said.

"No offense, but I'm on it," Bill stopped him.

"Oh, is that so?" Ford asked in a slightly challenging manner.

"Yeah. You see, we ran into each other in town. He didn't realize who I was, except that I was a mage, and he asked for my help in getting Mabel to talk to him. He thinks I'm luring her to him at 4:30 today. I definitely want to handle this one, especially after some of his words about Dipper. I'm not going to stand for it and I think he needs that to be enforced by me personally."

"Alright, I can respect that," Ford said. "If you need any backup though, just let me know. I've got all kinds of fun weapons down in the basement."

"Really?" asked a very interested Bill.

"Would you like to come see?" Ford asked, secretly thinking this would be a good time to subtly reinforce what would happen if Bill decided to stop treating his nephew right.

"Absolutely." Bill had to promise himself to focus on the appeal of fun weapons and to not get intimidated. He knew exactly what Ford was doing.

* * *

When Dipper and Mabel came home from school, Dipper's first question was regarding the whereabouts of Bill. "He's down in the basement with Ford. Looking at weapons and stuff," Wendy informed him.

"Thanks," Dipper said, going over to the vending machine. "You wanna come, Mabel?" he invited.

"Sure," Mabel said, dropping her backpack behind the counter before joining Dipper.

They found Bill and Ford deep down in the basement, heads close together and bent over something on a table. They were talking in what sounded like gibberish to Mabel, and only slightly less so to Dipper. At least they seemed to be getting along. Dipper was still a little nervous about whether his Grunkles would continue to get along with his soulmate. They could be a little overprotective of him at times.

"Hey guys, watcha doing?" Mabel asked.

They both jumped, not having heard the twins come down. "Oh, hello," Ford greeted. "We were just looking at a few of the weapons I've gathered down here."

"That's great, Grunkle Ford," Dipper said dubiously.

"Hey, could I talk to you two for a minute?" Bill asked.

"Sure," Dipper said. "Let's go upstairs."

"So, what's going on?" Mabel asked as she poured herself a glass of milk and put some cookies on a plate.

"I ran into someone today who asked me to help him with something."

"Okay?" Dipper said. "Why do you need to talk to us about it?"

"Because what he wanted help with had to do with Mabel."

"Me?"

"Yeah. He basically wants me to lure you away from your family this afternoon and bring you out to a random spot in the woods so he can have a 'private conversation' with you."

"Who is this?" Dipper asked, having a sinking suspicion that he knew.

"His name's Gideon. Apparently, you've had trouble with him before?"

"Ugh!" Mabel groaned. "He won't leave me alone. I'm so sick of him bothering me! I just want to punch him in his stupid 'widdle' face! He needs to be taught how to take a hint! I'm 16 for Pete's sake, I'm not interested in some 14-year-old who isn't even my real soulmate and hasn't even hit puberty yet. Not to mention he's stupid and pushy and obnoxious and the fact that he's been trying to destroy my family's business for years!"

"Mabel, calm down. We're gonna handle this," Dipper said, putting a hand on her shoulder, even as he had an expression of grim determination on his face.

"Oh, really? We've 'handled' it before and it's never worked. He's never gonna leave me alone!" Mabel said again.

"Yes, he will," Bill said. "I'll make sure of it."

"What do you have in mind?" Dipper asked, noticing an obvious glint in Bill's eye.

"Well, I was thinking of using some of my magical abilities to intimidate him. I can throw him around, teleport him somewhere he can't get out of, anything you can imagine with flames, and if I wanted to, I could haunt his dreams for a while by getting a lock of his hair or other DNA sample, but I'm thinking that might be too far. That's one I really don't like to use."

"You certainly started disliking him pretty quick," Dipper noted.

"That's for two reasons. One, he's stalking Mabel, who I consider a friend, and I don't appreciate people bothering my friends. Two, he insulted you to my face, Pine Tree. For obvious reasons, that did not put him in my good books."

"I think I know what you should do," Dipper said with a smile on his face.

* * *

Gideon stood waiting for Bill at their agreed meeting time and place. He couldn't believe how stupid Bill was to fall for his simple, exploitative plan, but he didn't care because he was going to get exactly what he wanted. Maybe he could get Bill to be a henchman for him. That would be useful. He heard his name from behind him and turned to see Bill approaching him – alone. "Where is she?" he demanded. Bill was not doing what Gideon wanted, and Gideon always got what he wanted, one way or another.

"Far away from you," Bill stated.

"What are you saying? Did her family drag her away from you, too?"

"Not quite. It's more like I already knew Mabel before I met you, and I wanted to see how things would play out here. I've heard about you, though – the fact that you're a fake, that you've stalked Mabel before, and that's not to mention the conflicts you've had with my own soulmate."

"No, they're all lying to you. I don't know who your soulmate is, but there's only a small group of people who I take issue with, so perhaps he's imagining me having issues with him. One of those narcissistic tendencies where you think everything revolves around you," Gideon said ironically, trying to convince Bill that he was wrong. Apparently, it didn't work.

"You should talk about narcissism," Bill said derisively. "Now, I'll give you one more chance. Promise you'll leave the Pines twins alone – and the rest of their friends and family – or you'll regret ever holding a conversation with me."

"What do you care about the other one?" Gideon asked with a sneer on his face. Of all the people in Gravity Falls, Dipper was one of the ones he hated the very most.

"He's my soulmate, you pathetic little runt. Now, are you going to do as I say or do I need to reinforce it?"

"Of course I'm not going to just do what you say. You can't tell me what to do, nobody can!"

"You asked for it," Bill said. Then the mage's body became covered in blue flames that licked across his skin, thought they didn't seem to burn him, and he seemed to tower over Gideon more than ever before. His visible eye glinted silver and met Gideon's, as the overgrown child stood rooted to the spot in growing fear. "I am making a mage's oath on my very life that if you ever dare to even think of hurting any member of the Pines family or anyone associated with them, the extent of the rest of your life will be nothing but misery for you, and you will wish you were dead – a wish you will immediately regret once you enter the afterlife, because I will ensure that it will be far worse for you than your life ever could have been, and you will never cease to be in agony for as long as time continues."

Gideon backed away in fear. Bill seemed to be getting bigger and taller as he spoke, and his voice got louder and deeper as well until it was echoing around them. Maybe he should move on from Mabel. He would consider it, when he had a clearer head and wasn't facing down what was essentially a talking blue flame… a very convincing blue flame. He wouldn't make any promises now, but he had a good feeling that he wouldn't be darkening the door of the Mystery Shack anytime soon.

"Now, go," Bill said, struggling not to laugh when he noticed the wet spot in the crotch of Gideon's pants before he turned tail and ran.

Ten minutes later he was telling the twins how things had played out. They had a good idea that this time, Gideon really would stay away. Of course, Bill's threat was completely empty. He could antagonize Gideon, but he had no control over the boy's afterlife. Gideon's ignorance of that fact only served to make the situation more comical as far as Bill was concerned.

* * *

 ** _AN: That's all for now. I'm more than open to any suggestions or ideas for this story, and I'd love to hear what you guys think, so please leave a review if you have the time. Thanks for reading!_**


	4. The Date

**_AN: What's this? A new Chapter? And it even has a chapter title? What is happening here?! I got inspired by a review (thank you SlytherinPride101), so I'm working on this story again. Nothing that was asked for is in the following chapter, but some of it will be in the next, which I already have plans for. Yay! Gear up for lots of hand-holding in the next 4,000 words :)_**

* * *

When Dipper came home from school that Friday, he went straight to his and Bill's room to drop off his backpack only to find a note on the bed. He picked it up to see that it was from Bill.

 _Dear Pine Tree,_

 _If you don't already have plans you didn't tell me about when I asked last night, I'd like to take you on our first date together. I won't tell you where we're going, but put on some comfortable clothes if the ones you're already wearing aren't. We'll be gone for a few hours and we aren't going anywhere too fancy. Whenever you're ready to leave, come meet me out behind the Shack. I have a surprise for you._

 _Sincerely,  
Your One-Eyed-Triangle_

Insanely curious about what kind of date Bill would be taking him on and what his surprise could be, Dipper quickly changed out of his shorts and into a nicer pair of dark wash jeans that he hoped Bill might appreciate, leaving on the shirt he'd worn to school. Checking himself in the mirror, he decided to ditch his hat. He wasn't about to cut off his bangs or anything, but he was feeling less and less self-conscious about his birthmark lately, especially around Bill, so he felt comfortable not wearing a hat on their first date, despite the risk of his forehead becoming visible to anyone paying attention.

When he passed Mabel on his way to the back door, she stopped him. "What are your plans for this afternoon? I was wondering if you wanted to watch the sci-fi movie marathon on the Used To Be About History Channel with me?"

"Some other time. Bill's taking me on a date," Dipper said in a casual tone that belied how eager he was.

"Oh! That's so exciting! You have to tell me everything when you get back! Where are you guys going?"

"I don't know. He just left a note on the bed and told me to dress nicely but comfortably and to meet him out back. Something about a surprise he has for me."

"Tell me what the surprise is when you get back," Mabel ordered. "And don't be nervous just because it's your first date! He already adores you, as anyone with functioning eyes can see, and I'm sure you'll have fun with whatever it is he has planned."

"Thanks, Mabel. I'll see you whenever we get back. I guess I should make sure Grunkle Stan or Grunkle Ford knows I'll be gone."

"We already know," said Ford as he came up behind them. "He asked us about it earlier today. We told him curfew was 11:00 tonight. Make sure he sticks to it, if you will."

"Sure thing. Anyway, I'm gonna go, now. I'll see you both tonight."

Dipper continued his journey outside and found Bill leaning against the twins' car. He was dressed in a yellow t-shirt with black jeans. He had such an obsession with the color yellow, not to say that it bothered Dipper. If anything, he found it endearing. He was also one of the few people who really looked good in the color, in Dipper's completely unbiased opinion. As he got a closer look at his soulmate, he noticed that he was wearing a different eye-patch than the only one Dipper had seen him wear so far. It was still mostly black and triangular, but it was a little shiny and had gold stitching around the edges. There was no eye on this one. It was simple but also kind of elegant.

For some stupid, unfair reason, the first words out of Dipper's mouth at the beginning of his first date were, "You have more than one eye-patch?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. This one I save for special occasions, like graduation and taking my Pine Tree out on his first date with me. You know, important things," he explained with a smirk.

"Cool," Dipper remarked. "Anyway, where are we going?"

"A few different places, none of which I will be telling you about before we get to them."

"Why?" Dipper whined.

"Because I said so," Bill answered with humor in his voice. "I'm a little shocked you haven't asked about the surprise I mentioned."

"Well, what was that surprise you mentioned?" Dipper asked, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly.

Instead of answering verbally, Bill tossed him an object that turned out to be his wallet. When Dipper looked at him questioningly, Bill said, "Open it." Dipper did as he was told, and staring up at him from behind a clear plastic film was Bill's driver's license, which he'd apparently gotten the day before. It was the black-and-white paper copy, but it would do. In the picture, Bill was grinning like it was the best day of his life. The sight brought a smile to Dipper's face.

"Congrats!" he said, handing the wallet back.

"Thanks. I was hoping you might be okay with me driving? I know it's your car, but I drove you that one other time, and I did get a 98 on the test, and that would make keeping our destinations a surprise easier."

"Why only a 98?" Dipper asked, mostly joking but still curious.

"My parking wasn't flawless," Bill explained. "Everything else was perfectly executed, of course."

"Okay, you can drive," Dipper easily agreed, holding out the keys. "Only because I know you're too stubborn to just tell me where we're going, though."

"Of course," Bill said with a smile and he took the keys from dipper.

"Wait, so how did you go take your test?" Dipper asked.

"Soos took me. I think his truck made the examiner a little worried, but he was a nice guy who didn't give me too much trouble about it."

"So, are you gonna get your own car, now? I mean, I'm sure Mabel won't have a problem sharing this one with you and I know I don't, but that'll be splitting it three ways. Things might get complicated with us eventually taking it to school when it gets cold and then you getting a job whenever you hear back from someone."

"I'm thinking about it, but I'm not sure what kind of car I want, and as you like to point out, I also have to consider car insurance."

"I was under a lot of stress that day," Dipper said defensively.

"Oh, sure. Excuses, excuses," Bill teased.

"Whatever," grumbled Dipper, making Bill chuckle.

"So, how soon until we get somewhere?" Dipper asked 10 minutes down the road.

"What, you expect me to just tell you?" Bill asked incredulously. "I don't think so. You're far too dangerous a combination of curious and smart. If I tell you how long it'll take us to get to our first stop, you'll start calculating a radius and narrow down possibilities. I'd rather leave you in the dark for as long as possible. I'm a big fan of surprises."

"I should just accept my fate, then, I suppose?" Dipper checked, peeking over at Bill.

"It would be wise," Bill agreed with feigned seriousness.

Dipper smiled over at Bill, feeling a random gratefulness for who he'd been given as a soulmate. It didn't matter what his parents or anyone else said – Bill was perfect for him and no one could ever take that away. Feeling in a good mood, he turned on the radio, found a station playing a song he liked, and turned the volume up. If he was going to be kept in the dark about where they were going, he may as well have music to keep his mind occupied along the way.

6 songs later, Bill turned off the road and into a parking lot. They were in a town Dipper hadn't been to before, but it hadn't been a particularly long drive. "We're here," Bill announced unnecessarily as he took the keys from the ignition.

"Where is here, exactly?" Dipper asked.

"It's an old theatre," Bill explained. "They do a lot of plays here, from what I read online. Tonight, they're doing a special production of 'Wicked', and I remember you mentioning you'd always wanted to see that one on Broadway. I couldn't take you to New York tonight, so hopefully this will do for now."

"Bill, this is great!" Dipper said excitedly. "Thank you for taking me here."

"Anything for you, Pine Tree," Bill replied, taking one of Dipper's hands and threading their fingers together. "It doesn't start for another thirty minutes, so I hope you don't mind that we got here early. I wanted us to get good seats."

"I don't mind at all," Dipper assured him. "That just means we can talk more while we wait."

Bill smiled a little indulgently at Dipper until his attention was drawn away when they got to the ticket booth. Without even giving Dipper a chance to protest, Bill payed for both of their tickets. The taller boy led him inside to a large room with a beautiful stage. The (slightly worn) carpet was red and the seat cushions matched. They managed to get seats on the third row, and Dipper couldn't help but bounce a little in his seat with his excitement.

"Pine Tree, calm down. If you keep that up, you'll be passed out from exhaustion by the time the curtain's lifted," Bill chuckled.

"I'm just excited," Dipper said, letting a little bit of childish energy course through him. It was just that easy to be himself around Bill.

"At least I know this was a good idea," Bill mused.

"It was a great idea," Dipper agreed wholeheartedly. He finally sat still, knowing he would be tired in half an hour if he didn't stop. It gave him the opportunity to look up at the ceiling. He noticed that the dark surface had little pinpricks of light interspersed across it, making it look like the night sky. He could even pick out a few familiar constellations. It was beautiful, to say the least. Why had he never been here before?

"So, do you have any homework this weekend?" Bill asked curiously, bringing Dipper out of his thoughts.

"Just some physics problems, and they won't take me too long," Dipper answered. "Why? Did you want to do something?"

"I was considering seeing if you wanted to have a little video game tournament with me. I've noticed the console downstairs, but I've never seen you use it so I have no way of knowing if you're any good. You certainly seem like the type to enjoy that sort of thing, though."

"Oh, you're so on," Dipper said. "I will crush you."

"Is that so, Pine Tree? You must be pretty good to sound so confident in yourself," he challenged.

"You have no idea. I'm the champion in my family, although Mabel occasionally beats me at a game or two."

Bill appeared to think about something before there was a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. "You've given me an idea. Why don't we get your sister involved in this, too? Maybe your uncles if they aren't too busy? Wendy? Any other friends you guys have? We could make a real tournament out of it and officially declare a _new_ champion at the end of it. Whoever isn't busy could join us."

"I like the idea," Dipper agreed. "Let me text Mabel real quick so she can ask around. It might be too late to politely text anyone when we get home, and tomorrow morning would be too last-minute."

"We've still got a good 15 minutes before this starts, so go ahead," Bill agreed. He watched over Dipper's shoulder as he opened his messages and found Mabel, who was under 'Sis'. It was accompanied by a lot of emojis, he noticed. The contact photo was also worth mentioning. It showed her posing with what seemed to be a grappling hook.

 _'_ _Hey Mabel, the date's going well. Bill and I came up with an idea and we need your help. We want to hold a big video game tournament at the Shack tomorrow. We won't be able to text anyone about it because it would be rude to be on our phones where we are, so could you start seeing who could make it? Try Wendy, Soos, Candy, Grenda, you know, the usual gang. See if the Stans want in on it, too.'_

Bill was about to ask about the emojis when the reply came in. ' _That's a great idea, Bro! I'll get on it. I'll tell you who's interested when you get home. Have fun!'_

Dipper sent a quick thanks and then Bill asked his question. "Is there a story behind all of those emojis?"

"Yeah," Dipper answered, and he started going through them in order. "The lady with the paint brush is because Mabel is an artist at heart. She loves crafts and scrapbooking, so I thought the artist seemed fitting. The boy and the girl holding hands is the two of us since we're siblings. The top hat is because the 12th and a half president of the United States declared her a congressman when we were twelve and gave her a top hat. The pig is because she has a pet pig. The shooting star is because her favorite sweater has a shooting star on it and there isn't a sweater emoji. The chocolate bar is because she's addicted to the stuff. The ping-pong paddle with the ball is because she dominates at that game every time. The microphone is for her obsession with getting me involved in singing karaoke with her. The purple heart is because purple is her favorite color and she's my sister." He would have said, 'I love her,' but it sounded a little corny in the moment so he let Bill fill in the gaps for himself.

"The 12th and a half president?" Bill asked.

By the time Dipper was done telling Bill about Quintin Trembly, the curtain had risen and the show was starting.

* * *

When they exited the theatre, Dipper was feeling a slight rush from the excitement of the evening. The performance had been a little... rough, but it was a small town – not quite as small as Gravity Falls, of course, but still small – so he wasn't particularly surprised or even disappointed. The point was that he'd had his first experience of seeing 'Wicked' live. "That was great, Bill," he shared. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. I had fun, too," Bill insisted. They held hands on the way to the car and picked back up again when they had gotten inside. It was… really nice.

"We have a couple of options for what we do next," Bill told him. "Are you hungry yet?"

"Yes," Dipper answered almost immediately. He was nearly starving. He normally ate a small snack after getting home from school, but he'd skipped that today just because he hadn't been thinking about it.

"Alright, that takes care of that, then. We'll go eat next," Bill said decisively. "You don't have any food allergies, by the way, do you?"

"Not that we've figured out, and I'm not very picky, either."

"Perfect," Bill declared. He put the car in drive and steered them out of the parking lot.

Less than ten minutes later, they were in a new parking space. This time, Dipper knew exactly where they were. He smiled. Olive Garden was amazing. Honestly, he didn't even have to get to the main course to leave the place satisfied; endless breadsticks were his exact idea of heaven.

Bill must have noticed his pleased expression. "This meets your approval, I presume?" he asked.

"Definitely," Dipper confirmed.

"Alright, let's eat, then," Bill said with enthusiasm. They linked hands once again as they entered the restaurant. Bill asked for a table for two, and they were immediately seated. It was roughly 7:00 on a Friday, so Dipper had expected a wait. He looked around and noticed that most of the larger tables were taken up with families, but a lot of the smaller tables were empty. That probably explained it.

He shyly asked Bill if they could get alfredo sauce to go with the breadsticks and was met with enthusiastic agreement. He'd just decided when he wanted to drink when their waiter – David – approached to take their order. Bill let Dipper order first before he asked for his own drink and requested the sauce. They both shook their heads at the offer of salad.

The two were silent as they perused the menu. Bill found what he wanted first – the shrimp carbonara – and it gave him the opportunity to observe Dipper. The younger teen chewed on his lower lip as he thought about what he wanted to eat, and it was kind of cute. He found Dipper to be pretty cute in general. He considered himself pretty lucky.

When Dipper had reached a decision about what he wanted to eat – he'd keep it simple and just get the fettuccine alfredo – he looked up at Bill to see the mage staring at him. "Is something on my face?" he asked.

Bill shook his head quickly. "No, I was just lost in thought," he said hastily. "Figure out what you want?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna get the alfredo," Dipper told him.

"Good choice. I'm getting that shrimp thing."

"I hope you're going to give the waiter more detail than that," Dipper teased.

"No, I think I'll just expect him to read my mind," Bill replied sarcastically. "I'll open the menu back up and read what it's actually called, but they do take up a bit of space, so I decided to leave it where it is for now."

"Fair enough," Dipper acknowledged. They kept the conversation light until David came back with their drinks and took their food orders. Bill laughed when Dipper's stomach growled in the middle of a conversation about Hobbits' eating habits, and then their food finally arrived.

They didn't talk much after they started eating, being obviously preoccupied. Even after they'd finished, they didn't talk about anything too in-depth. Neither one of them wanted to have too serious of a conversation in the middle of the Olive Garden, but they were able to get to know each other's tastes and interests in movies and such. Dipper also got to learn a few more things about magic – like how it was actually possible to overuse it to the point that you were never able to use it again. It was rare, but it happened.

Once Bill took care of the check - denying Dipper's slight protesting - they went out to the car, hand-in-hand. "We have one more stop before we head home," Bill told him.

"Okay," Dipper said, trying to keep his voice from sounding forlorn. He was having so much fun that he didn't want to have to go home. He didn't want Bill to get the wrong idea if he realized he was upset, though.

They drove in the opposite direction of Gravity Falls, and Dipper couldn't help but check the time. It was nearing 8:00, giving them 3 hours before they had to be home. That was plenty of time. They still had about half of their date left, if he judged by time, even though they had done 2/3 of what Bill had planned.

This time, Bill didn't pull off into a parking lot. Instead, they came to a stop in an empty field in the middle of nowhere. Dipper was glad he trusted Bill not to murder him, because this would be the perfect place to do it.

"Come on, you can help me carry stuff," Bill said. A little perplexed, Dipper got out of the car and met Bill at the trunk. He was handed a plastic Walmart bag and two pillows. Bill carried a bundle of blankets and a tarp. "This way," Bill directed with a nod of his head toward the middle of the field. They didn't go too far away from the car. The headlights hadn't cut off yet, and they used them to avoid stepping in any holes in the ground.

Bill laid the tarp out flat before piling the blankets on top, bunching them up around the edges to create a bit of a nest. He directed Dipper to drop the pillows and then took the bag from him. The sixteen-year-old watched as his soulmate pulled out a pack of 10 Roman candles and a box of 12 sparklers.

"I know it's the middle of October and not really the time to be shooting of fireworks, but it's something we used to do back at school whenever there was something to celebrate. We haven't really done anything to celebrate finding each other, per se, and I think our first date is worth celebrating as well," he explained.

Dipper smiled up at Bill. "I think this is a great idea," he said, thinking of the countless times they'd set off fireworks from the rooftop of the Shack. They moved farther away from their nest, being more cautious now that the headlights had gone out and they couldn't see where they were stepping.

"Roman candles or sparklers first?" Bill asked, holding each in a different hand.

"Roman candles," Dipper answered eagerly.

"Roman candles it is," Bill agreed. He dropped the sparklers to the ground and opened the box still in his hand. He pulled one out and held it out to Dipper. "You first."

"Thank you," Dipper said as he took it and held it out in front of him, pointed away from the two of them. He felt a grin cross his face as he watched Bill snap to ignite his fingertip and then transfer the flame to the end of the tube in his hand.

He felt a childish thrill run through him as he watched the colorful explosions burst out away from him. He counted them out to the tenth one and then let the tube fall to the ground. Neither one of them said another word as they took turns going through the box. They didn't feel the need for words. There was a strange calm surrounding them, and it was almost as if there was a bubble encompassing the field they stood in, protecting them from anything that could disturb their harmony.

The sparklers went much faster as they used multiple at a time.

Once they were done, they remained silent for a while, not wanting to disrupt what they'd created for themselves. Bill simply threw an arm around Dipper's shoulders and led him back over to the blankets. He guided the younger teen to get comfortable, and soon they were laying together on top of the blankets, Bill keeping an arm around Dipper, and Dipper resting his head on Bill's shoulder. They gazed up at the stars for a while, savoring the moment and every memory of the night that led them there.

Dipper felt his thoughts going back a little farther, all the way back to the first morning he'd woken up beside Bill. He didn't realize he'd spoken until the words were ringing in his ears and the tension in Bill's body was tangible. "Do you ever miss your parents?"

Bill was taken by surprise when he registered what Dipper had asked him. He recovered quickly, however. It made sense that this would be weighing on the teen's mind, considering his recent separation from his own parents. He didn't really mind the question, not coming from Dipper. "Yeah," he answered honestly. "I can tell myself all I want that I'm better off without them, that if they'd loved me they would have held onto me, but at the end of the day they were my parents. Kids are meant to have parents, and parents are supposed to be there for their kids. It's mess up what happened. Sometimes I have to let myself be sad about it. When I do feel sad about it, I just remind myself that I have other people around me that love me. Sometimes I would think of a professor who had helped me personally, or a classmate that I had good memories with. The next time it happens, I'll probably think about you and Mabel, maybe even those uncles of yours who took me into their home. It's hard not to have your parents with you, but the better people in your life tend to help make up for it."

Not sure what to say, Dipper nodded his head, knowing Bill would feel it even if he didn't see it. A slightly heavier silence fell between them as Dipper figured out how to voice his thoughts. "I just feel like it's so unfair," he admitted. "I mean, they barely ever gave us much as parents to begin with. They taught us how to feed ourselves and take care of personal hygiene, then started shipping us away from home as often as possible and finally leaving us there alone as soon as they knew we wouldn't starve to death without them. I just kept waiting, wondering when my mom would help us bake a birthday cake or our dad would take us camping, or either one of them would just show up for career day at school. Now I know it'll never happen, and it almost makes it worse that it never happened before. They'll never admit it, but they hadn't planned on having kids. We were an accident, and it's lucky for us that we were twins or we would have had nobody growing up. They accepted their mistake and took responsibility enough not to screw us up completely, but they never did anything beyond what they felt obligated to do."

Bill sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Pine Tree," he said gently. "I wish it hadn't been that way for you. A lot of parents think that giving a kid food and a roof is enough, but that's not the point. Being a parent isn't a responsibility; it's a privilege. People who look at it like a responsibility treat it like some job where you can do what needs to be done but you don't have to put your heart or soul into it. Raising kids takes a lot out of you, and if it doesn't, you're doing it wrong. I hate that your parents weren't there for you when you were younger, but I'm gonna be here for you for the rest of your life, and I think the rest of your family – your real family – would say the same."

"You mean that?"

"Every word of it."

"What if I do something really bad, though?"

"Like what?" Bill asked skeptically.

"You know, like if I go out and massacre 50 people or something," Dipper suggested.

"Kid, if you ever decide to do that, let me know ahead of time. I wouldn't mind the stress relief. Then we can go to jail together and make everyone our bitch."

It shocked Dipper into sitting up so he could look at Bill askance.

"I'm kidding," Bill amended. They ended up laughing together.

* * *

 ** _AN: First thing's first - don't try the Roman Candles thing at home, kids. You're not actually supposed to hold them when you fire them._**

 ** _Second - thanks for reading, especially if you've been waiting since I last touched this relic. I'm not going to set a date, because I've learned that doesn't turn out well for me, but the next chapter will be up in the near future. As requested, we will get a visit from Candy, Grenda, and Pacifica. Mabel will also realize her soulmate's identity. If you pay attention to character lists, you already know who they are._**

 ** _Feedback is appreciated and will, sometimes, earn you a new chapter._**


	5. Mabel's Llama

**_AN: It's been longer than I planned and this is shorter than all the other chapters, but here it is! I should also warn all of you that this fic is taking a very self-indulgent turn. I hope it still remains readable despite that._**

 ** _I went back and added chapter titles to all the earlier chapters just to give myself an easier way to check what happened in what order. They're not particularly ingenious, but they exist now for anyone who's been here a while (therefore having no reason to go back to those chapters) and wants to know._**

 ** _I haven't done this for a bit, so a brief disclaimer: I am not the owner of these characters and I make no money off of this. I'm only borrowing._**

* * *

At 12:00 on Saturday, people started arriving at the Mystery Shack. The Stans had declined joining them, but most of their friends had readily accepted the invitation. They were expecting Candy, her soulmate Roy, Grenda, Pacifica, and Wendy. Wendy was going to have to leave early for a family thing, but she'd be there for a few hours.

It was the first time for Bill to meet the younger 4 guests, so Mabel answered the door while he helped Dipper get everything set up. There were bean bag chairs littered across the floor for extra seating, the mini fridge next to the TV was freshly stocked with cold sodas, and there was a variety of potato chips and candy piled on top of the fridge. They even added a cushion to the top of the giant skull so someone could sit there.

Pacifica was the first to arrive. Dipper was a little surprised that she had been interested, but he didn't really mind her being there. She was still a rich only child and played into the stereotype regularly, but they'd gotten along well enough since the incident with the lumberjack's ghost when they were 12. She'd even seemed happy to see them when they'd walked into her homeroom class that week.

"Pacifica Northwest, this is Bill Cipher," Mabel introduced. She didn't really need to say anything else. Pacifica had already heard about Bill like the rest of the friends at their lunch table, and Dipper had told Bill about all pf their Gravity Falls friends, knowing they'd inevitably meet each other at some point.

"It's nice to meet you," Pacifica said formally.

"You, too," Bill answered. "Dipper's told me a bit about you, but he never told me if you're any good at video games. Are you?"

Pacifica scoffed. "As if. I have much better things to do than waste my time punching buttons on a remote."

"Then what are you doing here?" Bill inquired mildly. He didn't take offense to her tone, remembering Dipper's caution that she could be rude but didn't always mean anything by it.

"I don't have anything better to do," she said, as if that explained everything. "Besides," she added, "my parents are having some stuffy party tonight, and I was so not in the mood."

"You definitely made the right choice," Bill told her with a smile. Stuffy parties were the worst, and he would know. He appreciated his Alma Mater, but it was still a boarding school with a few too many stupid traditions.

"We have snacks and drinks over there if you decide you want anything," Dipper said, temporarily slipping into host mode and gesturing to the wall where the mini fridge rested.

"Thanks, Dipper," Pacifica said, and it almost sounded polite.

They heard someone else knocking at the door and listened as Mabel stopped talking to Waddles to go open the door. She led Grenda into the room, letting Dipper handle introductions this time when another knock was heard almost immediately.

"Bill Cipher, meet Grenda *Grendinator," Dipper introduced, motioning to each of them in turn.

"Wow, Dipper. You didn't tell me he was so hot," Grenda said, moving as if to get in Bill's space.

Dipper easily blocked her. "He's taken," he reminded her with a pointed look. "Keep your hands to yourself."

"Jealous much, Pine Tree?" Bill teased, though Dipper noticed he had taken a small step away from the girl.

"I'd say he's justified," Pacifica said. Dipper turned to thank her, but then realized she wasn't so much defending his stance as vaguely noting her own appreciation for the Mage's appearance. He leveled a glare at her, as well.

"Hey guys," Wendy said, entering the room and giving Dipper a welcome distraction.

"Hey, Red," Bill greeted.

"Don't you call anyone by their real names?" Pacifica asked after hearing him use nicknames on two different people.

"Not if I like them enough," Bill answered with a smile. "Once I come up with a working moniker, I stick to it." After learning of Mabel's sweater preferences last night, Bill had started calling her Shooting Star consistently. She seemed to like it a lot.

"So why is he Pine Tree?" Grenda asked curiously.

Bill turned the inside of his forearm to face her and pulled the sleeve of the yellow sweatshirt he was wearing out of the way to show her his soul-mark. "Cause he's my Pine Tree," he stated with a fond smile that made Dipper's insides twist a little.

"That's so cheesy," Pacifica said with disdain.

"Thanks," Bill replied with a grin.

They were interrupted by the arrival of the rest of their competitors. "Alright, let's get this party started!" Mabel announced.

As it turned out, everyone there was pretty competitive. Wendy seemed to be the least invested, but it was probably due to her general laid-back attitude. Even Pacifica got into it when they convinced her to give Super Mario Bros. a try. She practically climbed on top of the recliner, which was already occupied by Mabel and Grenda, in an attempt to make her Yoshi cooperate. Then Grenda nearly took out a lamp during Grand Theft Auto. Candy and Roy got in an actual fight over a turtle shell in Mario Kart, thought Mabel quickly helped them resolve it. Dipper got his first real taste of Bill's foul mouth while playing Kirby's Epic Yarn, of all things.

It was a fun day.

After Wendy left, it was only an hour before Grenda left with Candy and Roy. By that time, it was 5:30. "Do you mind if I stay a little while?" Pacifica requested. "That party's supposed to last for a while. If I get home now, they might make me participate."

"Stay as long as you want," Mabel offered. "Is anyone else hungry?" she asked. All three of them nodded. "Do you want to order pizza?"

Dipper and Bill nodded enthusiastically, but Pacifica looked at them skeptically. "I've never had delivered pizza," she admitted hesitantly.

"It's so good!" Mabel enthused. "The cheese is always melted just right, and the guy who works there on Saturday nights always puts the perfect amount of toppings on them, and their oven always gets the crust this beautiful, crispy, golden-brown. You have to try it! If you don't like it, we'll get you something else," she promised.

"Okay, fine," Pacifica finally agreed. "Only because you recommended it so highly, though. It had better live up to my standards."

"Awesome! Let's order online so we have plenty of time to figure out what we all want. I'll go through the toppings, and we'll vote on whether or not we want them."

When they had placed their order, they ended up with two large pizzas. The first had pineapple, onions, and BBQ chicken. The second had olives, pepperoni, sausages, mushrooms, and peppers. Pacifica and Dipper were most excited about the former, while Bill and Mabel were more looking forward to the latter. They hadn't talked to their uncles about the pizza, but they knew the two of them would eat just about anything.

Thirty minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Bill stood up to get it, wallet in hand, and came back with two pizza boxes. The grunkles tailed him into the living room with plates and napkins.

"We'll leave you kids to your pizza, but we're bringing some with us," Grunkle Stan said as he loaded a slice of each pizza onto a plate. Ford followed his example and then they went to eat in the kitchen.

"Wait, so we're eating in here?" Pacifica asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that's what we normally do when we order pizza," Mabel explained. "Don't worry about it. The furniture is really old, anyway. We'd probably be doing it a favor if it got stained."

Pacifica still looked dubious, but she followed everyone else's example in sitting on the floor around the coffee table. Bill and Dipper shared a side, Mabel adjacent to them and Pacifica adjacent to Mabel. The blonde girl was the first to separate a plate from the stack, and she placed a single slice on it from the pineapple pizza.

"You probably want to load your plate up a little more," Mabel warned her, leaning forward conspiratorially and flicking her eyes at Dipper and Bill. "I've seen the two of them polish off an entire large pizza together in less than 20 minutes. If you want to eat more than one slice, you'd better go ahead and put more than one on your plate."

"I heard that," Dipper muttered, leveling a good-natured scowl at his sister.

"Good, everyone could use a little self-awareness," Mabel said with an innocent smile. Bill chuckled at the exchange for a moment before digging in. Dipper followed suit.

Mabel rolled up her sweater sleeves to keep them out of the way before she bit into her pizza. Pacifica noticed neither of the boys had bothered, but it seemed like a good idea. Instead of rolling her sleeves up, she slipped her cardigan off her shoulders. She almost always wore long sleeves because it gave the illusion of being cozy even if most of her clothes were pretty stiff. She was warm, though, and she was among friends. She draped her cardigan over the arm of the chair behind her and added two more slices of pizza to her plate before she started eating.

She reached for her third slice several conversation-filled minutes later. Her conversation with Mabel was interrupted by Bill. "Hey, Princess," he said a little slowly, a little hesitantly. He'd started calling her that because she always chose Princess Peach when she could, as well as because of her haughty attitude.

"What?" she asked, a little too curious to be irritated. His tone wasn't very characteristic of him, from what she knew.

"Is that a shooting star on your wrist?"

She flipped her wrist over to look at it, not that she needed to. She looked down at the symbol there before looking back up and showing it to the rest of the group. "Yes," she answered.

"Mabel, what's on your wrist again?" Dipper asked, turning to his sister.

The brunette girl looked like she was coming to a realization. She showed off her own wrist. There was an alpaca there. It didn't mean much to most of them, but Pacifica drew in a breath. She looked over at Bill. "Why do you call her Shooting Star?" she asked him.

"Because Pine Tree told me that her favorite sweater has a shooting star on the front," he explained.

"My favorite cardigan, the one I wore today, is made of alpaca wool," Pacifica said, finishing in a whisper.

The two boys shared a look before grabbing another slice each and standing. "We'll leave you to it," Dipper said. "We'll be in our room if you need anything."

They walked down the hall to their room and closed the door behind them, settling on the bed and facing each other. "What are you thinking?" Bill asked.

Dipper knew he was referring to Pacifica and Mabel apparently being destined for one another. "She could have done a lot worse," he decided. "It's kind of ironic that they hated each other's guts when they first met years ago. I think they'll be good for each other, though. Mabel can help Pacifica loosen up and have fun, and Pacifica might help Mabel grow up a little. I love Mabel, but she's still a little childish sometimes. As selfish as it seems, I'm a little relieved, too. This sounds so bad, but this way I know she would have had to leave home, anyway. Our parents wouldn't have been any happier with her than they were with you."

"Were you feeling guilty for her being here?" Bill asked curiously.

"A little," Dipper admitted.

"You shouldn't," Bill told him. "She chose to come with you the same way you chose to come with me. Besides, if she wasn't here, it may have been a lot longer before she realized she knew her soulmate. I don't think you have anything to feel guilty over."

"You're probably right," Dipper said. He knew in his head it was true, but feelings weren't as easy.

"Do you want to lay down?" Bill asked once they'd finished eating. Dipper nodded, and they lay down in bed together on top of the covers, knowing it wasn't time to sleep just yet. Neither of them was very tired, anyway. They just wanted the contact.

* * *

 ** _AN: I know that was a bit of an abrupt ending, but I didn't have anything else to add...? The next chapter is in the works, so stay tuned! Thank you all for being patient with my inconsistent posting :)  
_**

 ** _*Grenda's last name is canon. (Reliable?) source:_** ** _post/148565950205/so-i-talked-to-alex_**


	6. As Long as I Know You're Safe

**_AN: Here's the newest chapter! It's a little longer than the last one, so that's good, I guess. I'm working on the next chapter as soon as this is posted, so keep an eye out for it in the next few weeks.  
_**

* * *

Bill woke up to the jarring sound of his phone ringing. Groaning, he quickly picked it up and stepped out into the hallway. Hopefully he could at least give Dipper the opportunity to sleep in even if he missed his chance to do the same. "Hello?" he said. He hadn't bothered to check caller ID, so he had no idea who was on the other line. It had better be a real person who actually wanted to speak with him, though.

"Bill Cipher?" asked a female voice.

"This is he," Bill confirmed.

"I apologize if I woke you up, but I have some urgent news. I'm Cynthia Warren at the Salt Lake City Mage Penitentiary. I'm calling to inform you that one of our inmates, a Zachary Montgomery, escaped a few hours ago. We are currently conducting an investigation into his whereabouts and will let you know when we locate him. You are being informed of this because we have reason to believe he may try to find you, so please be aware. He has pronounced several threats against you since his imprisonment. As far as we know, he is not armed. He is still considered dangerous, however. If you have any information that may help us in finding him, please tell us."

The news shocked Bill. He hadn't considered the possibility that he might have any further encounters with Zach, even indirectly. The thought of having to actually see him again was a little nauseating. Zach was one of the few bridges he'd willingly burned – and with good reason. He truly wanted nothing to do with him. "Should I call you at this number if I think of anything?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright. Thank you for calling." Bill hung up and dropped his cell into the pocket of his pajama pants. He knew it would be useless trying to go back to sleep, so he went down the hall to the kitchen to brood. He decided he'd keep himself busy by making breakfast for everyone, so he got out the carton of eggs and a frying pan so he could make omelets.

Thinking about Zach made him uncomfortable. Not only was he an absolute creep and a jerk for doing what he'd done to some of the other students, but he had also been one of Bill's closest friends. He was Bill's first friend. Just a year ago, if asked who he trusted most, he would have chosen Zach. When he lost his faith in Zach, he lost a little faith in himself, too. He felt regret when he thought about the friendship he lost, followed by more regret when he told himself that he should have realized what was going on sooner.

He was plating up the first omelet when arms wrapped around his waist, bringing his mind back to the present. A curly brown head rested between his shoulder blades as a sleepy voice asked, "Why are you in here and not in bed?"

Bill couldn't help but chuckle a little at the inadvertent cuteness. "Phone call woke me up. Why are _you_ in here and not in bed?"

"Cold," was all Dipper said, leading Bill to assume he meant the bed.

"Sorry Sapling," he apologized, the new nickname slipping out without him noticing. Dipper only noticed enough to think he kind of liked it before he went back to leaning on the man in front of him and absorbing his Bill-ness, making up for lost company earlier that morning. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Dipper answered, a yawn distorting the end of the word. "Who called you?" he asked, as though Bill's explanation for how early he was awake was just sinking in.

Bill hesitated. He wasn't sure whether he should answer Dipper honestly or not. He didn't want to lie to him, but he wasn't sure if he should tell him the truth, either. There was no reason for Dipper to get worried about the situation. It may not even come to anything in the end. Only time would tell. He settled on answering honestly without actually answering. "It wasn't anyone you know."

"'Kay," Dipper accepted. "Who's eating that?" he asked, looking down at the omelet bill had plated.

"Do you want it?" Bill offered.

"Mhm."

"You can have it," he told him, picking it up and holding it out to him.

"Thanks," Dipper mumbled, taking it over to the table where he sat down to eat it. Bill finished the one he was working on and decided to join him since he wasn't sure how long it would be before everyone else woke up.

"What do you wanna do today?" Dipper asked when he was more capable of thinking clearly.

"Well, I've got that job interview today," Bill reminded him.

"Oh yeah," Dipper said. "The restaurant job, right?"

"Yep. Being a waiter isn't my dream job, but you gotta start somewhere," he acknowledged. "That's not until 3:00, though. Until then we can do whatever."

"I was thinking about exploring the woods a little more today. It's been a while since I went for a walk without any real purposes. We could head out after we finish eating and then come back here for lunch?"

"Sounds fine to me. Maybe we could play a couple of rounds of Mario Kart before I have to leave," Bill suggested.

"Describes my perfect day," Dipper said with a smile. He must be waking up now, Bill thought.

Mabel walked in at that moment, Pacifica trailing behind her wearing what were clearly a borrowed sweater and pair of sweatpants. "Morning guys," Mabel greeted them sunnily.

"Good morning," Bill replied.

Dipper gave them a simple, "Hey."

"Want me to make you two an omelet?" Bill offered, setting his fork down and getting ready to stand.

"That won't be necessary," Mabel stopped him. "We need to get Pacifica home soon, so we'll just eat cereal today." The two boys watched as Mabel led the blond girl over to the pantry and showed her their options. Pacifica shrugged and said something they couldn't hear. Dipper thought it might have been something along the lines of 'We don't eat cereal at my house.' Mabel picked out Lucky Charms and Pacifica seemed to shrug in agreement.

"We'd better get going if we want to get anything accomplished before we have to get back," Bill said to Dipper.

"Right." Dipper turned to the two girls. "Bill and I are going to go out in the woods this morning but we'll be back for lunch if either of you are here then. It was nice seeing you again Pacifica."

"You too," Pacifica mumbled around a mouthful of cereal.

"Be careful," Mabel cautioned. "No raising the dead, either!" she added, mostly as a joke… Dipper hoped.

"No promises," he replied with a grin over his shoulder before he left the room after Bill.

They each packed a backpack with a notebook, a few water bottles, some trail mix, and a walkie-talkie. Neither of them planned to get hungry or separated, but it was best to be prepared. Both of them had learned this the hard way. Bill dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a black bandana around his head to keep hair and sweat off of his face. Dipper wore shorts and a t-shirt with his usual hat. Both of them wore sneakers. In thirty minutes they were ready to go, planning to shower after they returned.

They took a direct left out the front door and walked from there. Dipper didn't even need a map to know where they were going. He'd spent enough time studying the maps Ford had made and walking through the area to know it like the back of his hand.

An hour and a half after they left the Shack, they decided to call it quits. They hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary, and it was a little disappointing but not completely unexpected. An hour later they returned with no new knowledge about any forest creatures, but a little bit of new information about each other.

"Hey, Pine Tree?" Bill said tentatively as they dropped their backpacks onto their bed.

"Yes, Bill?" Dipper asked, looking over at him.

"I want to ask you something, but feel free to say no."

Curious, Dipper looked closely at him before motioning for him to go ahead and ask whatever it was he had on his mind.

"Would you want to shower together? We obviously don't have to, but I've been thinking about it lately. I don't expect anything sexual from you, but I'd like the intimacy of it if you're okay with it."

Dipper faltered for a moment. Part of him thought that was moving a little fast, but Bill had said he didn't expect anything. It was common practice for soulmates to start showering together before they ever slept together _like that_. It was seen as a good first step into intimacy and a good bonding experience. He trusted Bill not to take it too far. "Alright," he agreed with a barely-hesitant smile.

Bill smiled widely at him. "Let's go, then," he said, gathering up a nice change of clothes that he'd probably wear to his job interview. Planning to just spend the rest of the day on the couch, Dipper got himself a pair of sweatpants and one of Bill's shirts (shh).

Like a couple of naughty kids – maybe that's what they were? – they sneaked down the hall to the bathroom without anyone noticing, locking the door behind them. "How hot do you like your showers?" Bill asked as he slid the shower curtain aside.

"I'm not happy if it doesn't burn a little," Dipper answered. Bill laughed, and Dipper watched as he turned the nobs and checked the water temperature, waiting until he was satisfied before turning back to Dipper.

"Are you still sure about this?" Bill asked as he touched the hem of his shirt.

"I'm sure," Dipper replied, moving to take his own shirt off. He was a little self-conscious, but it didn't have anything to do with Bill specifically. He just wasn't used to people seeing him naked.

Dipper kept a steady pace undressing until he was down to his boxers, but Bill didn't have the same reservations. The next thing Dipper knew, the mage was stepping into the shower fully naked. After taking a deep breath, Dipper made himself follow suit.

"Would it be too cheesy if we washed each other's hair?" Bill asked hopefully.

"I don't think so," Dipper answered. Truthfully, he loved to have his hair played with. He was just too shy to ask for it.

"I'll do yours first," Bill said, putting a hand on Dipper's shoulder to turn him around. A few seconds later, Dipper felt hands start massaging his shampoo into his hair. When Bill's fingernails started to scratch at his scalp, he would have purred if he were a cat. There was nothing in the world he could think of in that moment that would be better than what he was feeling. "Close your eyes," Bill said gently as he directed Dipper's head underneath the shower spray to rinse out the suds.

Conditioner followed, but before he rinsed it out, he handed his own shampoo bottle to Dipper. "That'll make your hair even softer if you leave it in for a few minutes. After we rinse my hair of the shampoo, we'll rinse yours. Trust me, you'll love it."

"Are you saying my hair isn't soft enough?" Dipper asked in feigned offense.

"Of course not, my dear. But there is no such thing as having hair that is too soft, you know," he replied in a falsely dignified voice.

"I suppose you're right," Dipper agreed in the same tone as he started washing Bill's hair. Thankfully, he was only a few inches shorter than the other teenager so it wasn't horribly difficult. He liked washing Bill's hair almost as much as he liked having Bill wash his.

* * *

Bill and Dipper went to bed that night in good spirits. Dipper had gotten past an impossible level in Portal and Bill had already been told he'd gotten the job. He started in a week. Thoughts of Zach had completely fled Bill's mind… until after he'd fallen asleep.

 _Bill was stressed. It was almost time to graduate, and all of his professors seemed to be assigning huge week-long projects at the same time, giving him little time to relax outside of the few hours of sleep he got between studying and going to classes. Sometimes he forgot to eat. He was glad Zach was around to help make sure he didn't starve. Speaking of, he should probably get Zach a we're-not-going-to-be-roommates-anymore parting gift in town next weekend._

 _He shifted his stack of library books to his other arm, catching an involuntary glimpse of his soul-mark._ Pine Tree _, he thought with a smile. When he was having a particularly bad day, sometimes he could look down at his wrist and be reminded that he had a perfect match out there somewhere. They would meet one day, he hoped. He could distract himself for hours thinking about how they might run into each other, or what his soulmate might look like. Brown hair. Brown eyes. A quirky, wonderful birthmark. A sense of adventurous curiosity…_ That was oddly specific _._

 _A noise caught his attention, and he felt a strange sense of foreboding wash over him. Cautiously, he went in the direction it had come from. Nothing could have prepared him for what lay at the end of the next corridor._

 _Zach… he was attacking someone. "What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled in shock, running forward to help whoever it was. He froze when he saw their face._

 _"_ _Bill, help!" Pine Tree called out to him, terror clear in his voice._

"Pine Tree!" Bill shouted, shooting up in bed. His eyes flitted around the dark room, searching. They finally landed on Dipper, who was gazing sleepily up at him with concern written across his face. He felt his breathing slow down as he saw that the other boy was safe beside him, completely unharmed. "Sorry I woke you," he apologized.

"That's alright," Dipper assured him. "Are _you_ alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Bill lied, nodding his head. "It was just a nightmare."

Dipper looked at him skeptically. "I don't think I've ever had ' _just_ a nightmare'. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I'm fine," Bill repeated as he lay back down. "As long as I know you're safe, everything else will be alright." The last part was whispered, as if it was for his own benefit alone.

"Let's go back to sleep, then," Dipper suggested quietly. On a hunch, he scooted closer to Bill in the bed and rested his head on the shoulder nearest to him. Bill wrapped an arm around his shoulders, placed a kiss in his hair, and sighed as he closed his eyes to go back to sleep.

* * *

The first thing Bill did when he woke up the next morning was check to see if there was any news about Zach being arrested. There wasn't. He wouldn't bother the people looking for him by calling them. He preferred they only had to focus on hunting the bastard down rather than having to waste time trying to wrangle nervous boyfriends who had bad dreams.

It wasn't long after he finished scouring the internet's news articles that Dipper woke up and started getting ready for school. Bill watched him unashamedly before throwing on a shirt to go eat breakfast with the twins. He sort of hated to watch Dipper leave every morning, but he reminded himself that it was only for a few hours. A distraction would help him since he didn't start his job for another week.

"Do you guys need any help in the Shack today?" he asked the two older twins who sat at the table with them.

"We're always happy to have more help," Ford said with a smile. "Actually, you can do my job today so I can work on a new research project I started in the basement."

"Seriously, Ford?" Stan complained. "One of these days I'm gonna get you to do it."

"What did I just agree to?" Bill asked slightly nervously.

"It's not that bad," Stan said casually, which was not comforting in the slightest. "I need to work on some plans to re-vamp the Shack. We've been doing the same thing for a while, and I want a good, big, new attraction that will draw hundreds more people in. While I'm working on that, I was going to have Ford give all my tours for the day. Since he's a coward, that's what you'll be doing today."

"What does that entail, exactly?" Bill asked less nervously. He liked working with people most of the time. He could work with this. He also had a flare for the dramatic, which seemed fitting from what he'd seen of Stan working.

"Well, you need to wear a suit. I can run you through the basics before we open. As long as you don't mind being dramatic and talking to large crowds, you'll do fine," Stan assured him.

"Sounds doable," Bill decided. "Should I put my suit on first, or do you want to show me around first?"

"Go ahead and get dressed since I don't know how long it'll take me to show you the ropes."

"Alright," Bill agreed, finished his breakfast. "I'll see you later, Pine Tree," he said with a kiss to Dipper's cheek as he rose from the table.

"Bye, Bill," Dipper answered as he continued to work on his own breakfast. He and Mabel were out the door 10 minutes later.

"Do you mind walking home alone?" Mabel asked as they made their way down the driveway. It was reasonable for her to go ahead and ask. They only really had homeroom together and after that, it was a gamble as to whether they'd see each other again for the rest of the day. Normally, they'd meet outside the front doors at the end of the day to walk home together. They didn't drive because it was a 10-minute walk and gas was expensive. They'd drive when it got colder, maybe.

"I don't mind, but why?" Dipper asked.

"Pacifica has a big test tomorrow in her art class and asked me to help her study. I was gonna ride home with her today and then go back to the Shack after we ate dinner.

"She has a test in her art class? On what?" Dipper questioned.

Mabel rolled her eyes. "It's not a painting type of art class, Dipper. It's the kind where they study artists and paintings and musicians and stuff. They're on the romantic period."

"Oh, okay," Dipper said, understanding.

Neither of them noticed the eyes following them from behind the bushes to their left.

* * *

 ** _AN: Ooh, suspense. I wonder who it could be. You probably all know already. Oh, well. I hope you enjoyed, even if it is obvious where this is going._**


	7. I'll Find You

**_AN: I'm back with the next chapter! It's even longer than the last one! The following chapter after this is in the works, so keep an eye out over the next few weeks. I hope everyone in the back to school crowd isn't totally miserable in their new classes. For everyone else, I hope you're equally not-miserable. Either way, enjoy this drama-packed chapter (that's probably an exaggeration so don't get_ too _excited)._**

* * *

Bill got dressed in black dress pants with a yellow button-down shirt and a black vest over it. He added a black bow-tie and a top-hat to complete the outfit before admiring himself in the mirror. His mind went to Dipper, and he wondered what the other boy would think of his attire. He had a feeling Dipper would be impressed when he came home to see him dressed up so well.

"Looking good," Stan said when he came downstairs to meet the older man. "You'll do just fine. We've got about an hour before we open the doors, so we've got just enough time to teach you how to do this. You've seen me do it enough to have a general idea, but I'll pretend you don't know anything."

* * *

Dipper checked in with Mabel to make sure her plans to study with Pacifica hadn't changed before he started off on his way home. He tried to hurry because the clouds looked like they were bursting to drop a few tons of water onto the town. Getting sick would be a crappy beginning to his week. If he had checked the forecast before leaving the house _like a smart person_ , he might have brought a raincoat with him.

"Excuse me?" came a voice behind him, making him jump in surprise.

There was someone back there who appeared to be about Dipper's age. He had a head of messy red hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed all day. Freckles littered his face. His eyes were a dark brown that was almost black. "Yes?" Dipper asked, feeling a little uneasy. He chalked it up to his mild social anxiety.

"You're Dipper, right? Bill's soulmate?" Dipper hadn't noticed he had stopped walking until the other guy was two feet away from him. He backed up a pace.

"That's right. Who are you?"

"My name's Zach, and you're going to come with me."

"I'd rather not, I need to get home," Dipper countered, backing up… right into a hole in the road. He lost his footing and stumbled. It gave Zach – whoever he was – the opportunity to grab him and place a hand over his face. His nose and mouth were effectively blocked. He couldn't breathe. His vision was going blurry. He tried to lash out at Zach, but it didn't do him any good. He wasn't strong enough. He should have listened more closely to his instincts and kept more distance. Everything went black.

* * *

Dipper woke up to a slight headache. He tried to move, but his arms had been secured behind him. His legs were immobile, too. He was sitting in a chair. The room was dim. The only light came from a window across the room from him. It was pouring rain outside. It was cold inside. It smelled like the attic at his parents' house. Everything was silent.

"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone there?"

He heard a gun cock. Something hard was pressed to the back of his skull. "You should be quiet," a low voice ordered. How had he not known there was someone else in the room with him? He did as he was told – for now. The gun was removed and he was face-to-face with his captor. "Allow me to explain the situation you are in. My name is Zach. You're my prisoner for as long as I decide. During that time, you will cooperate. You will do what I say. You will not get hurt too severely as long as that remains the case. Any questions?"

"What do you want with me?" Dipper asked, the obvious question.

"There's nothing I really want from _you_ , per se. It's more like, there's something I can't get unless I first take you away." Dipper furrowed his brow, not understanding, but Zach shook his head. "That's all for now. I'm going to go check on something. If I hear a peep out of you, you'll regret it so fast your head will spin."

* * *

Back at the Mystery Shack, it was getting dark outside. Bill had a busy day and was for once too distracted to notice when 3:00 came and went. The next thing he knew, it was closing time. The sky was darkening, and Dipper hadn't come home as far as he knew. Thinking that maybe he'd just missed the other teen, he went to their room to find it untouched since he had gotten dressed that morning. It wasn't like Dipper to not let anyone know if he wasn't going to be home at a normal time, but Bill reasoned that it wouldn't be hard to forget to call if you got caught up with friends.

With that in mind, he pulled out his phone to call the brunette. The call wasn't answered. He didn't leave a voicemail. He called Mabel. She told him she went to study with Pacifica. Dipper walked home alone. She hadn't heard from him. No one knew where he was. Dipper was missing. It was obvious why.

Bill should have told Dipper about Zach. He should have let the other know that someone like that was on the loose. Maybe Dipper would have been more careful, more aware of his surroundings. Maybe he would be at home right now. Maybe Bill wouldn't be pacing the floor of their bedroom wondering what to do next. Maybe Dipper's life wouldn't potentially be in danger.

Maybe this was completely unrelated to Zach. Bill wasn't sure if that would be a good thing or not.

"Is everything alright?" Ford asked from the open doorway. He'd been coming to tell them dinner was ready, also unaware that his nephew was AWOL.

"Pine Tree's missing," Bill said a little breathlessly, not ceasing his pacing. "Mabel went to study with Pacifica, so he was going to walk back here alone. Mabel said he wasn't planning on making any stops anywhere. He never made it here. He's not answering his phone. What if he's hurt? What if he's been kidnapped? What if some creature attacked him and dragged him off to some cave somewhere and he's cold and alone and scared and can't get out and…"

"Hey, calm down, son," Ford said hastily, entering the room to lay a steadying hand on Bill's shoulder. "You need to breathe for a minute. Why don't you sit down, and we can talk about this rationally?"

Wordlessly, Bill did what Ford said, dropping onto the bed and focusing on his breathing, which was admittedly a little too fast. Ford sat down on the bed a few feet away from him, turning to face him. "Now, first of all, remember that Dipper can take care of himself. He's not defenseless. The first summer he came to visit, when he was twelve, we went down to this spaceship that sits under the town and accidentally tripped the security system. I got trapped in this pod that was going to send me light years away from here. Before it ever got close to breaking the atmostphere, Dipper attached himself to it with some duct tape and a magnet gun and single-handedly crash landed it to keep us both safe. That boy is capable of more than I ever gave him credit for. If he did come across something sinister, I'm sure he was able to keep from falling into too much harm. He may have just had to take the long way home to avoid the path of a creature. It wouldn't be the first time. We need to think rationally before we jump to conclusions."

"You don't understand," Bill protested. "There's something else…"

"What is it?" Ford asked patiently.

Bill took a deep breath before he began to explain who Zach was and how he had recently escaped prison. He couldn't stop his guilty conscience from showing as he expressed his thoughts that he should have told Dipper.

"Look, Bill, if it is this person that has Dipper, we'll get him back. Nothing can keep the Pines family apart for long. It's certainly not your fault if that is where Dipper is. You said it yourself that he's a mage and would have a clear advantage over Dipper. Even if Dipper was appropriately cautious for the situation, that wouldn't guarantee his safety. Odds are, he was going to be taken one way or another. But we can worry about the what-ifs later. For now, we just need to focus on figuring out for sure where he is and then getting him back from there.

"Now, I want you to stay here in case he does come home. You can call us and let us know. It's reasonable to assume that his phone is dead since he's not answering, so you'll be our best shot at communication between the outside and the Shack. While you're here, you can go ahead and make any calls you think might help – if there are any favors for you to call in or anyone who might be willing to help. Don't call Mabel again, though. She can worry about this when she gets home."

"You don't think she'll want to know?" Bill questioned.

"I'm sure she will, and she might even get mad – she'll probably get mad – when she finds out we didn't tell her, but there's nothing for her to do. I don't want her going off on her own to try and find him by herself. One missing family member is enough. Try to keep her here once she gets home if we're not back."

"Where are you going and who is 'we'?" Bill asked.

"'We' is Stanley and myself. We're going out to search for any hint of him. We may run by the police station while we're at it, though the police in this town aren't the most competent, despite their heartfelt efforts, in the best of times."

It was written all over Bill's face – in the fire behind his eyes, in the set of his jaw, in the shape of his mouth, in the tension in his shoulders – that he wanted nothing more than to run out of the house to find his soulmate. There was a hint of resignation there, as well, and Ford knew the teen was going to let the adults handle it even though he hated it, because he knew they were right. "We'll call you when we find something – no matter what it is that we find. Keep your phone on you."

"Yeah," Bill said tersely. While Ford left to go tell Stan the situation and get supplies gathered, Bill was already dialing a number on his cell phone.

"This is Cynthia Warren at the Salt Lake City Mage Penitentiary; how can I help you?" she answered.

"This is Bill Cipher. I hate to ask, but have you gotten any leads at all in the Zachary Montgomery search?"

"There was a possible sighting of him heading west on I-84 in Idaho recently, but it wasn't from a particularly reliable source, and there is no evidence to support it. Why do you ask?"

"I was hoping you might have already found him. I'm living with my soulmate and his family, and he was supposed to be home a few hours ago. His uncles are out looking for him now. It seems like a possibility that Zach might have taken him."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," the woman sympathized. "I can't confirm or deny the possibility. Would you like us to deploy forces to your area to search for him there?"

"Yes," Bill replied readily. "We're in Gravity Falls, Oregon. The address we live at is 618 Gopher Road."

"Thank you. I'll have someone make contact with you when they arrive, which should be tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good," Bill said before he hung up. He wanted to tell them to hurry the hell up, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. They had a good distance to travel, and they were only human.

When Bill started getting ready to go to bed – alone – that night, an idea came to him. He grabbed Dipper's hairbrush and pulled some hair from it. He then went to the kitchen and got out a glass from one of the cabinets. Water went into the glass. The glass went into the microwave for two minutes. He took it out, added Dipper's hair and hot chocolate mix, stirred it, and chugged it.

As soon as he got back to his and Dipper's room, he took a sleeping pill and then laid down in the dark, hoping his plan would work, hoping Dipper was asleep.

* * *

Sleeping while you're tied to a chair isn't easy, but Dipper was tired enough that he practically passed out sometime after midnight. He had just started dreaming about trees bleeding red goo when the scene faded. It was replaced with the far more peaceful scene of a room occupied by a large couch and the softest carpet he'd ever walked on. A figure was pacing the floor in the middle of the room. "Bill?" Dipper called.

The figure drew up short immediately and turned to look at Dipper, confirming his identity. "Pine Tree!" he said, rushing toward Dipper and wrapping his arms around him tightly. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?"

"I'm alright," Dipper assured him, leaning into the hug. "I'm not hurt."

"What happened?" Bill repeated, pulling away just enough to look down at Dipper.

Dipper had to think for a minute to decide how he wanted to answer that. "I was on my way home from school when someone called for my attention. After he asked, I told him I was your soulmate. He kidnapped me and brought me somewhere after that. He hasn't really hurt me, but he's got me tied to a chair and he threatened me with a gun. He said his name is Zach." Dipper was pretty sure that was all the relevant information.

Bill cursed when he heard the man's name. "I'm so sorry, Pine Tree," he apologized. "I should have said something earlier."

"What do you mean?" Dipper asked. "Surely you don't think this is your fault, Bill."

"A little bit," Bill said. "Zach is my ex-best friend I mentioned to you a couple of times. The one I had a falling out with. Remember?"

"Yeah, you said you caught him hurting someone and reported it. You said he's in jail now, though."

"He was, but I got a call a few mornings ago that he'd escaped. I thought about telling you, but I didn't want you to worry about it. I just feel like if I had told you, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"Bill, no. Don't think like that. I mean, yeah, I'd like you to talk to me about things in the future, but it's not your fault this happened. He knew where I was, he got me alone, and he was stronger than me. None of that would have changed even if I'd recognized him on sight. Okay?"

"Okay," Bill relented, but he still wasn't sure he believed it. Not yet. "Do you have any idea where you are?"

"No, not really. I'm in a small room with concrete walls. There's not any light. There's a small window in one wall. That's all I can see. There are some trees outside, but that doesn't distinguish this place from anywhere else in town. I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

"That's alright. I'm gonna find you, Pine Tree. I promise."

Dipper woke up after a few more hours spent with Bill. They had sat down on the couch together and Bill had held him tight. They'd taken comfort from each other as well as they could. The sight of the barrel of a gun pointed at his head greeted him now. "Sleep well?" Zach asked sarcastically.

"I slept great, actually," Dipper answered smugly.

"Good, because I'm going to make your waking life hell," Zach sneered. "You're going to answer a few questions for me, and if I don't like the answer, I'm going to make you feel pain. If you don't answer, I'll put a bullet in any part of your body I like."

"What do you think I could possibly tell you?" Dipper challenged.

"I'm sure there's plenty," Zach says confidently. "First question – what did Bill tell you about me?"

Dipper thought about lying, but he didn't see a point. "He said you used to be friends until he caught you hurting someone, that you tried to make him forget but it didn't work, that he reported it, that you went to jail for hurting a lot of other students and then wiping their memories."

"Did he tell you what I was doing to hurt the other students?"

"No."

"Why don't I show you, then.?" Before Dipper could answer that one, Zach snapped his fingers. Electricity coursed through Dipper's body for a solid 10 seconds before he was released. He felt drained and sore when it was over, and breathing was a bit of a struggle.

"Do you know what I just did?" Zach asked, as if he was a teacher and wanted to know if Dipper had kept up with solving a long equation.

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me," Dipper replied a little breathlessly.

"I just used a power that is exclusive to my family. You know, my parents always warned me, saying that I could never use it because it could only ever cause harm. I was curious one day, though. I wanted to know what it would do. When I told Bill, he didn't think it was a good idea. He actually told me that I could either use it on him or not use it at all. I think he was under the impression that something horrible would happen and make me realized my parents were right. I think he also thought he could handle what ever happened. Bill was always an arrogant son of a bitch.

"Turned out, when I use my power, I don't just hurt the person I use it on. There's a reason they feel a painful shock, and that's the fact that I'm taking a portion of their essence from them. What I just did to you gives me enough power to perform magic non-stop for hours without ever feeling tired at all. You, on the other hand, will have less energy for the rest of the day, now. I didn't take much from you, because I want to continue this.

"Next question: what is Bi-" He was cut off by the ringing of a phone. "I'll be back for you."

Dipper didn't waste any time. He didn't like the direction things were taking. He started working harder on the ropes around his wrist – a task he had begun the night before. He needed to get out of here before Zach took too much of his life force, or whatever, for him to be able to move at all.

* * *

Some agents knocked on the front door of the Mystery Shack promptly at 8:30 the following morning. Bill let them in and let them ask their questions, answering them when and how he could. He told them what he knew about Zach from their time as roommates, from their time as friends. He told them everything he could think of about Dipper that might be helpful. Dipper was resourceful, knew how to throw a punch if given enough reason – though he wasn't particularly strong and certainly not a skilled fighter. Dipper was brave and unafraid of sacrificing himself for others. He also provided a physical description.

Mabel, who had stayed home from school for obvious reasons, gave as much extra detail as she could on her brother, though she wasn't sure how some of the information would help find him if he'd been kidnapped.

"Would he have had his cell phone with him?" one of the agents finally asked.

"Yeah," Mabel said.

"We'll start with tracking it and hoping that Dipper still has it with him."

Mabel provided Dipper's cell phone number since she'd had it memorized for years, and then they all waited anxiously for the signal to be found.

The laptop the agents had brought with them started beeping loudly. It'd located the cell phone. Coordinates showed up on the screen. The coordinates were entered into a satellite map. They watched as the map zeroed in on a location, and Bill felt his shoulders slump.

The cell phone was a dead end. It was by the side of the road, barely half a mile from the school. Bill knew there was nothing there. Zach dumped the phone before he ever took Dipper anywhere. Just so he had something to do, Bill grabbed his coat. "I'm going to go get it. He'll want it when he gets home." Bill knew it rained yesterday and the phone probably got soaked, but he also knew Dipper had a waterproof phone. It should still be intact. He hoped Dipper would be in the same condition when they found him, too.

"I'll stay here," Mabel said, anxiously watching Bill leave. She had a feeling that what he was really worried about was getting a little air.

* * *

Dipper was finally free of the ropes around his wrists. He made quick work of the ones around his ankles and then bolted across the room to the window. It was painted shut. He couldn't let that stop him. It wasn't a particularly thick layer of paint, and most of it had already chipped away. He started picking at it frantically with his fingernails.

After what felt like an eternity, it looked like he had all the dried paint cleared away. He started lifting the window and was greeted with an ungodly screech as the sides of the window scraped against the fame it was in. Dipper struggled with pushing it up fully, knowing any stealth was forfeit now. His only chance was speed.

The door on the other side of the room banged open. There stood Zach, gun in hand and pointed directly at Dipper. "I don't think so," he said. He didn't even give Dipper the chance to surrender. He shot him, a bullet lodging in his foot, making him crumple to the ground with a pained yell. Zach moved closer and connected his boot to the kid's head, knocking him out.

He hadn't expected to be given so much trouble by the brunette. He'd thought this would be easy. All he had to do was hold onto Dipper until Bill finally showed up after however long it took him to find out where they were. Bill would be desperate. He would agree to anything to keep Zach from taking his soulmate's life. It would be Zach's ticket to freedom and access to all the human essence he'd ever need. Being in prison, he'd physically felt the absence. Cravings for more had kept him awake at night.

"Looks like you're changing my plan, kid," he said. He wasn't completely stupid – a plan B had been prepared. He would make Dipper lose any desire to escape. It would further twist the proverbial knife he was putting into Bill's heart. He would still have a bargaining chip, too. What he was about to do could only be undone by him. They'd still have to give him his freedom if they wanted Dipper to ever be right again.

* * *

 ** _AN: I'm ashamed to admit it, but I got really lazy with editing this chapter. I'll probably go back over it again later and then repost it. Let me know if you see any grammatical mistakes, especially if it's a change in tense. The book I'm reading right now is in present tense, and it's been screwing me up. I kept noticing myself writing in present tense and having to go back 3 or 4 paragraphs to undo it. Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope everyone has a good week!_**


	8. Out of the Woods, or not

**_AN: What's this? Two new chapters in only a week? Well, don't get too used to it. I have a lot of stuff coming up and thought I'd post what I had while it was at a halfway decent stopping point. It may be a month before I get back. I hate that, but that's how it is. This chapter's a little shorter than normal, and I hope you don't mind. Anyway, enjoy the little tidbit :)_**

* * *

Dipper woke up in a soft bed. The room was unfamiliar to him, nothing like his bedroom in California. He was comfortable, though. Except… his foot was killing him. Now that he thought about it, his head hurt, too.

"Hey, you're awake," a gentle voice said beside him. He turned his head – too quickly – to see that a teenage boy was sitting in a chair beside the bed. He looked worried. "How are you feeling?"

"Who are you?" he asked. That seemed like a more important question.

The other boy looked hurt. "You… you don't remember me?"

"Should I?" Dipper questioned.

"Do you at least recognize where you are?" he asked next.

"No, now who are you?"

"It's me, your soulmate! We met about a month ago. Your parents kicked you out because I'm a boy, and we went to live with a different part of your family in Oregon. You went missing a few days ago, and I was looking everywhere for you. When we finally found you, you'd been shot in the foot and your head had a big bump on it. I was so worried! Are you telling me that bastard hit you hard enough to give you amnesia?"

"I guess?" Dipper answered. "Why am I not in the hospital?"

"We live in a small town. The hospital here doesn't have very much space. Once they'd made sure you were stable, they let us take you home."

"Where's Mabel?" Dipper asked.

"Huh?"

"Where's Mabel, you know, my sister?"

"Oh, sorry. I misheard you. She went to bed as soon as we got you here. She hadn't slept since you went missing, and she looked like she was going to pass out."

"That sounds about right," Dipper said with a small smile. "Why did they kidnap me, anyway?"

"We're working on figuring that out." He looked like there was something he wasn't saying, but Dipper didn't push him. "Is there anything else you wanted to know?"

"Uh, well, could you tell me your name?" Dipper asked, deciding he could fill in the rest of the blanks later.

"Of course, babe. My name's Zach."

* * *

Bill came back to the Shack with Dipper's backpack and cell phone. He'd found them in a ditch, buried in leaves and sticks. When he saw everyone in the living room putting on jackets and checking weapons, he asked, "Did you find something?"

"We aren't sure yet. Using eye witnesses and security cameras, we were able to place Zach buying a burn phone a few hours away, and we were able to trace it to the location of what seems to be an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. We're going to check it out. Would you like to go with us?"

Right, as if that were even a question.

Twenty minutes later, they stood outside a ramshackle building. It was two stories high with a sagging roof and overgrown yard. "Remember," Agent Brown was saying, "we're going in here on the assumption that this is where Dipper is being held against his will and that Zach is very dangerous."

Everyone nodded and checked their weapons. The two agents and Ford had guns. Stan had a baseball bat. Mabel had her grappling hook. Bill had his magic.

Agent Kimbley was the one to break the door down. He led them all inside. Bill was shocked at first. The inside of the house did not match the outside. Everything seemed new. The floors were swept. Dust wasn't anywhere to be found. There was a TV and other modern appliances that looked to be in perfect condition. They shared confused looks, but kept moving.

They entered the kitchen next. Standing there, by the stove, was Zach, looking for all the world like he was calmly cooking dinner, as if he did it every night. Sitting at the nearby table was Dipper, who looked scared. Only, he wasn't tied up. He looked like he was fully capable of escaping. The way he was leaning away from them, and they way fearful eyes turned to them before hopeful eyes looked toward Zach made it seem as if _they_ were the ones he was afraid of.

"What's going on?" Dipper asked, not seeming to recognize any of them until… "Mabel? Is that you?" He looked utterly confused at the sight of her, looking back down a hallway for some reason before looking back at Mabel, who just nodded her head.

Bill was frozen. It didn't take a genius to know at least part of what was going on. Zach could erase memories. He had taken away any memory Dipper had of him. Was that the end game here?

Zach moved forward, ignoring the guns pointed at him. "You should be careful. If you don't do what I ask, he'll never remember the last five years."

"Five years? But he won't remember Gravity Falls," Mabel said. She gasped. "He won't remember Bill…"

"That's the idea," Zach agreed. "I'm the only one who can make it right. If you put me in jail, I won't be doing that. Grant me a full pardon, and he'll be right as rain in no time."

"I don't think so," Bill argued. "Anyone who can erase memories can restore them. There are plenty of other mages who can do it for us. We don't need your help. You're going back to where you belong."

Zach actually looked surprised by the statement, and then the agents were reading him his rights, cuffing him, and escorting him out to the car. Bill made it over to Dipper first. "Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down in front of him.

"I'm confused," Dipper answered, which wasn't exactly an answer. He looked a little lost, actually. "What did Zach do?"

"What did… Pine Tree, he kidnapped you. He was holding you captive."

"Pine Tree?" Dipper muttered. He shook his head, dismissing the unfamiliar form of address for the moment. "He said he was my soulmate, though."

That comment actually physically hurt Bill's chest, but he shook it off. "No, he was lying. I'm your soulmate," Bill began trying to explain. He knew words wouldn't be enough to convince Dipper of the truth. "Look." He held up his wrist to show Dipper the pine tree etched into his skin. "That's you," he said, almost desperately.

Dipper rubbed a finger over the mark, then looked down at his own wrist, then back to Bill's face. A look of horror crossed his features. As far as he could remember, he didn't know Bill. That didn't stop him from seeing the emotions the blonde was showing. Pain was painted vividly across his face "I'm so sorry," he said guiltily. How could he have believed that someone else was his soulmate – apparently the same man that had kidnapped him, probably the same one that had shot him?

"Hey, it's okay," Bill assured him, placing a hand against Dipper's cheek. "We'll take you to someone who can get your memories restored, and you'll be good as new in no time. You ready to go home?"

Dipper hesitated. "Was he telling the truth when he said my parents kicked me out?"

"Yeah," Bill answered with a sigh. "We live up in Oregon with your two great uncles."

"Oh, okay," Dipper said. "I'm ready to go, sure. You're probably going to have to carry me, though."

"Wait, did he hurt you?" Bill asked, as if it hadn't occurred to him that Zach might have gone further than just erasing his memories.

"Yeah, he shot me in the foot," Dipper answered, lifting up his leg a little.

Bill looked murderous. He turned to, well, Dipper wasn't sure what he was going to do. He wouldn't find out, either. Mabel put a restraining hand on Bill's shoulder. "Let it go, Bill. Focus on taking care of Dipper."

"No," Bill argued. "Let go of me."

"No," Mabel argued back. "He's already gone, anyway. Right now, we need to get Dipper to the hospital. We can worry about the rest later."

A deep breath and Bill was back to Dipper's side. "Are you sure it's okay if I carry you?" he checked.

"Sure," Dipper confirmed. Bill seemed like he really cared about him, and he already liked Bill more than he had thought he liked Zach. He was sure that was a good sign.

His head still felt a little muddled and confused, though.

* * *

An hour later, Dipper was in a hospital room surrounded by people he was told were his family. Mabel was the only one he remembered, but he trusted her and knew she wouldn't lie to him about who they were. The fact that everyone seemed extremely relieved to be with him strengthened the idea that they were who they claimed to be.

All the same, Dipper only let Mabel get too close to him. He could see it was driving Bill crazy, but he felt weird having unfamiliar faces bent over him in concern at the hospital - doctors aside. He hated hospitals enough as it was.

When a doctor came in, Bill muttered, "Finally," under his breath where he was leaning against a wall. The two older men were sitting in chairs against the same wall, while Mabel was perched on Dipper's bedside.

"Well, Mr. Pines, I have some good news. The bullet went straight through your foot without causing any serious damage. We won't have to operate on it, and as long as you keep most of your weight off it for the next few weeks, it'll heal just fine. As for your head, you do have a mild concussion. As long as you're careful, that will heal perfectly fine as well. Do I have any questions?"

"Yes," Bill spoke up from where he was standing. "I'm a mage with healing powers. I didn't use them earlier because I didn't want to accidentally cause complications. If you could let me look at any of his scans or x-rays, I could have him walking on it by the time he's discharged."

"Oh, wonderful," the woman said happily. "I'll go get those for you. It shouldn't take me long."

"Wait, before you go, what about his memories? How are we supposed to restore those?" Mabel asked.

"I've spoken with the National Legion of Mages and explained to them the situation. It appears that there are quite a few pressing cases of memories that need to be restored. Your brother is on a long waiting list."

"Are you kidding me?" one of the older men – the one in the red hat – asked. "How long of a list are we talking about?"

"Let's just say it could take anywhere from a week to 6 months for them to get this solved," the doctor said. "You have to understand, this isn't an uncommon occurrence, and some people get bumped to the top of the list. There have been times when reconnaissance operatives have had their memories erased. They get priority for the sake of national security. We recognize the importance of getting your young man's memories back, but you need to recognize the limited number of people who can assist with the issue."

"Okay," the man – Stan? – sighed.

"Thank you," his brother, the one in the trench coat, said.

"I'll be back," she said, letting herself out of the room.

"You can heal?" Dipper asked shyly now that the doctor was gone.

"Yeah," Bill answered.

"What else can you do?"

It took a lot for Bill not to sigh. Dipper knew that – his Pine Tree knew that. He wished he remembered. There were so many blanks to fill in just over the last few weeks. "I have the power of healing, telekinesis, fire, dream-walking, as some call it, and teleportation of anything other than myself," he said as patiently as he could.

He saw fascination light up in Dipper's face, and it was a little comforting, somehow. "That's so cool," he said.

"Thanks," Bill replied. "Is there anything else you wanted to know?"

"Not that I can think of right now," Dipper answered. They'd been instructed earlier to answer any questions Dipper had, but not to overwhelm him by giving him loads of information he didn't ask for. "Actually, on second thought, have you found your soulmate, Mabel?"

"Yeah, turns out it's Pacifica," Mabel answered happily. "She was asking about you earlier, but I told her not to worry. She might want to come by and visit the house sometime after we get out of here, though."

"What's she like?" Dipper asked.

Somehow, Mabel had forgotten that Dipper didn't remember _anything_ about Gravity Falls. She wouldn't let it keep her down, though. "She's one of the richest kids in town, and she used to be a real snob. We kind of hated each other when we first met when we were 12, but we ended up hanging out a little more over the years and we got to be friends a little while ago. She's still kind of bratty sometimes, but she can be nice, and she's really fun to hang out with once she puts her phone down. She's getting better at that. We still have a few issues and differences to work through, but it's kind of a fun process."

"You seem like you really like her," Dipper observed.

"I do," Mabel agreed.

The doctor came back half an hour later with the information Bill needed to work on healing Dipper. He studied the papers before wrapping both of his hands around his foot. He had to focus on mending it correctly in the right order. If he went too fast, he could overwhelm Dipper's system and send him into shock. If he did something too soon, it could block something else from connecting back to where it was meant to. After a few painstaking minutes, everything was back the way it should be. He let a cooling, soothing sensation flow from him into Dipper to alleviate any soreness that might have remained. "All done," he announced.

"Thanks," Dipper said, just a little breathlessly. He wiggled his foot with wide eyes, clearly impressed by what Bill had done.

"It's no trouble, Pine Tree," Bill assured him. "Are we good to go, now?"

"Yes," the doctor, who had stayed to watch Bill work, told them. "Have you ever considered a profession in the medical field?" she asked.

Bill paused. He… hadn't, as ridiculous as it sounded. "No," he answered. "I don't really have the means for medical school."

"With an ability like that, you may not have to go for as long as others. I'm not trying to push you into it, but just consider it. I think you could help a lot of people."

"Right. Thanks," Bill said. He was going to have to seriously look into that later. The idea was surprisingly appealing.

* * *

 ** _AN: Yes, I turned a soulmate fic into an amnesia fic. No, I did not plan for things to turn out this way in the beginning. No, I do not have any regrets._**


End file.
